Manchester City Recap: Pep Guardiola’s Tactics and Haaland’s Resurgence

Following Pep Guardiola’s success at Barcelona and Bayern Munich, he became head coach of Manchester City in 2016, transforming the team from a good team in the Premier League to the best of the best. Though the team faced some worries following the exit of star striker Sergio Aguero, Guardiola’s keen eye managed to scout and develop some of the current best young players. Having won seven Premier League titles in the past 10 years, there is no doubt in any football fan’s mind that his tactics are nothing less than top tier. Notably, striker Erling Haaland has been able to reap the benefits of Pep’s tactics, and has made notable contributions to the team’s recent success. Though in the recent heavyweight fixtures he has been accused of “ghosting”, he quickly redeemed his status as one of the best youngsters through his major contribution in the last few games of the Premier League title chase and Pep’s gracious praise of the youngster. 

What does Pep Guardiola Look for in a Player? 

In a joint interview between Guardiola and five-time world chess champion Magnus Carlsen, Pep sided with many ideas of Carlsen’s connections between football and chess. Carlsen starts the interview off with, “If you control the middle you control the pitch or the board” and follows up with, “Often in chess you attack on one side, force the opponent to overload, then you switch and have an advantage on the other side. So in terms of space, it’s remarkably similar”. Pep corroborated Carlsen’s idea on the concept of space within football, reaffirming that controlling the space within the pitch is key to a winning team. In addition to midfielders controlling space on the field, Guardiola implements the striker into his tactics. For instance, he often calls the striker to drop when there’s too much pressure on the player, subsequently increasing the strength of the control in the midfield. If the defense were to push up on the player, the striker (Haaland) would be able to exploit the newly opened space and make a run. 

Though tactics are a crucial characteristic of Pep’s style of play, picking players that possess traits he values are equally as important. In a Sky Sports article, Pep is seen emphasizing physical fitness, mental strength, and of course, technical skill. Through players like midfielder Kevin De Bruyne who are constantly able to position themselves and see the right pass, Pep has been able to build Manchester City into a powerhouse. However, even though Guardiola heavily weighs the importance of key playmakers, with no striker to finish the job, all is left in vain. Following the departure of star striker Aguero, Guardiola said, “You say we play fantastically well without a striker because we are winning. When we are not winning, you say we need a striker. [...] In the Premier League, you have to play with a striker. We try, but sometimes it's not possible.”

Haaland’s Rise to Stardom Within the Premier League

Desperate to replace Augero, Guardiola and Manchester City signed Borussia Dortmund’s young star Erling Haaland for £51.2 million. Right out of the gate, Haaland displayed his potential to finish as one of the greats. Following 35 appearances in the Premier Leagues 2022/23 season, Haaland secured a total of four hat tricks, 36 goals, and eight assists, stats never seen before in a rookie season. Additionally, across all competitions, Haaland recorded a jaw-dropping 52 goals. That year, Haaland placed second in the race for the Ballon d’Or, won the Premier League’s Golden Boot award, and led City to their third Premier League title in a row. He’s also broken a few records, scoring 36 goals in his debut Premier League season, more than any other City player, and becoming the first City player to score on both his Premier League and Champions league debut. Haaland was the answer to Pep’s prayers, as he was easily able to close out great passes made by the likes of De Bruyne and score for City on a continuous basis. Unexpectedly, Haaland fit very well into Guardiola’s ideals, despite City not depending on a striker for a considerable amount of time following Aguero’s departure. He displayed fantastic finishing ability, great fitness, and mental strength as he continuously pressed the opponents defense despite most of the time never taking the ball back into City’s possession.  

Haaland’s Recent Decline and Redemption

Throughout the 2023-2024 season, though Haaland’s performances have had their ups and downs, football fans are sure of one thing: he isn’t like his debut self. Concluding the Premier League season, Erling ended with a total of 27 goals, nine goals less than his debut season. The battle to the Golden Boot also wasn’t such a decisive one, as rising Chelsea star Cole Palmer gave Haaland a run for his money; at one point in the season Palmer had 22 goals, one goal over Haaland at the time. His presence in many crucial games also seemed to be non-existent, as he failed to deliver in crucial games such as in the UCL quarter-finals, prompting critics such as Roy Keane to harshly criticize Haaland’s credibility as a world-renowned striker. Many people go as far as to state he simply ghosts in crucial games where he is needed as he receives intensely low ratings for his performance in the UCL quarter finals second leg, obtaining a 5/10 player score via Goal.

However, Pep Guardiola was quick to clash back at critics, stating Erling Haaland is still the best striker in the world. In an interview after [game], Guardiola said, “I don’t agree with [Keane]. Absolutely not. [Haaland is] the best striker in the world.” Additionally, Haaland still possesses many traits Pep admires, as Pep believes that “Haaland’s ability to forget misses makes him great.” Going past the misfortune in the Champions League, Haaland played a crucial role in the Premier League title race. Scoring four goals in a game against Wolves on May 4 and scoring two goals against Tottenham in a 2-0 win, Haaland managed to keep City ahead of the Gunners. Though the goal gap between his two seasons is clear, Haaland still managed to put away the Golden Boot by five goals. 

This season came out to be one of Haaland’s less statistically-superb seasons. Yet even in the darkness, Haaland has managed to lead Man City further into the history books, playing a crucial role in their fourth consecutive Premier League title. Guardiola’s clear praise for the youngster and his tactics display that in order for Manchester City to win, they still need Haaland. Undoubtedly, Haaland is still one of today’s greatest players, and will be looking to add to an already illustrious career.