“It’s football” – Pep Guardiola explains evolution of Manchester City’s attacking play during six-year tenure

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola feels satisfied with the attacking outlets at his disposal as he prepares to face Bournemouth on Saturday evening.

Following an instrumental triumph away at Premier League leaders Arsenal last week, the Catalan has seen his side play out back-to-back draws against Nottingham Forest and RB Leipzig.

City have the chance to return to winning ways against 17th-placed Bournemouth as they look to close a two-point deficit to Arsenal, who retain a game in hand over the Blues ahead of a trip to Leicester this weekend.

A wasteful performance in attack saw the Premier League champions fail to take home all three points at the City Ground last week, with Erling Haaland notably failing to adding to this 26-goal tally for the league campaign.

Guardiola admitted he understands Haaland’s in-game complaints on not being found by his teammates when he makes a run in what was a Friday press conference dominated by talk around City’s style of play.

The Manchester City boss, who led his side to a historic 100-point Premier League winning campaign in 2018, was further asked if he’d like more pace out wide in attack to complement the likes of Jack Grealish, Riyad Mahrez and Phil Foden.

“No,” said Guardiola. “I had Raheem Sterling and Leroy Sane in our team, and in that team we played and attacked in a different way. And now we don’t have them for many reasons, we have Jack (Grealish) and Riyad (Mahrez), and you play in another way.

“But I know, if I put Phil (Foden) on the pitch, if I put Kevin (De Bruyne) on the pitch, if I put another player there, we can run, we can attack quick.

“But in that game, don’t tell me why. If we draw, if we lose, I know, I’m wrong. I know that. But I thought we want this type of game. What we missed after that, a little bit more involving Erling (Haaland), a little bit more. We missed it, but it happens.”

Amidst Phil Foden’s struggles for minutes since the World Cup, Jack Grealish is enjoying the best form of his young Manchester City career alongside the rejuvenated Riyad Mahrez as the latter two displayed by combining in City’s goal in Leipzig on Wednesday.

City signed Erling Haaland from Borussia Dortmund for £51 million last summer after failing to secure the arrival of Harry Kane from Tottenham in the summer of 2021, having won consecutive league titles in the absence of a natural number nine prior to this campaign.

Despite Haaland’s incredible goalscoring tally in his debut season in England, there have been question marks surrounding Guardiola’s use of the 22-year-old and if the Premier League champions are the ‘right fit’ for the Norway international.

Pep Guardiola: “Don’t make one game like a theory because he [Erling Haaland] had the chances at Nottingham in the first and the second half. But of course, we have to and will improve…”

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— City Xtra (@City_Xtra) February 24, 2023

Guardiola added: “Do you think the (Manchester City) players don’t want to find this animal (Erling Haaland) who scores three goals every day? We want him. But my friend, they play and the opponents always defend well.

“We have three or four players who run; 30km Bernardo (Silva), 12km (Rodri), 11km (Ilkay) Gundogan, Riyad (Mahrez). Four or five players, they run!

“But what can I say against Nottingham (Forest), after Arsenal – with 36% possession – how he (Haaland) ran behind them, and after three days there to go to Nottingham and play and behave like we behaved.”

Chris Wood levelled for Nottingham Forest late on at the City Ground last week to hold City to a 1-1 draw after Bernardo Silva’s stunner put the visitors ahead in the first half.

However, Guardiola is aware that his side should have been out of sight against the newly-promoted Reds, who suffered a 6-0 drubbing at the Etihad Stadium in August last year.

“It could have been 0-5, honestly. It was 0-5,” the 52-year-old said. “What do we have as the reality now? Against Everton, (City recorded) one shot on target, we dropped two points. One shot on target against Nottingham (Forest), we dropped two points.

“We have chances, and chances, and chances, and we want to score. Tell me the reason, Pep? IT’S FOOTBALL. IT’S FOOTBALL. No explanation – there is not.

“Why we won 1-3 against Arsenal – in chances we had more than them, but our style is completely different – we could not. Because they are good, they are man-to-man, they are aggressive in their stadium, the momentum that they have – we could not. How?

“How can we do it? It’s football. Sometimes we try to figure out, analyse much. But as much as they train good, and we are here, and they focus, I do it. I know we have to win to stay there (at the top of the table) and we will try. This is for sure.”