Guardiola has always been a proponent of dominating possession. Early in his managerial career, leading Barcelona, he said privately he had betrayed himself in a match against Inter Milan.
Having selected Zlatan Ibrahimovic up front, he played with less possession than normal and looked to attack quickly. Soon after, he promised to himself that even if he were to fail, he wanted to do so abiding by his own principles.
Through Guardiola’s use of midfielders as inverted full-backs and having technical players across the pitch, City have always dominated possession under him.
During the 2017-18 season, they had on average 71.9% of the ball per game. Since then they haven’t dropped below 60% across the season.
Winning six Premier League titles in seven seasons using that approach meant controlled, positional, high-possession football became the norm.
Liverpool boss Arne Slot won the Premier League in his first season playing closer to those principles than Jurgen Klopp’s more intense style of play.
While Arteta’s Arsenal have put up impressive defensive records this season, they also look to keep the ball during games.
And Brighton’s sustainable model of success has come from hiring coaches who seek to impose themselves on the game through possession, with Roberto de Zerbi and Fabian Hurzeler excelling.
Scott Parker, Vincent Kompany, and Russell Martin have also persisted with this philosophy in the Premier League – ultimately failing because of player quality and a reluctance to change approach. It underlines the impact Guardiola has had on coaches throughout the league.
Prior to Guardiola’s arrival, English football was famed for its intensity, directness and fast attacks, with Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United dominating.
United under Michael Carrick have leaned into those traditional counter-attacking roots, but one of Guardiola’s most impressive feats has been to come into a league that had Ferguson’s tactical fingerprints all over it and change the overarching approach of many of the its best sides.
