Manchester City beat Chelsea 3 – 1 on Sunday with a performance approaching the best of the Guardiola football we know.
This season is an interesting case study on Guardiola. He is at a club for longer than he ever has been in a year when City’s crown has been well and truly taken by Liverpool.
His intensity is so draining on his players that in other teams, they would have lost interest by now. It’s so taxing on himself that he usually needs to take a sabbatical at this point.
Now, Manchester City must rebuild their team while also maintaining a title challenge. With Garcia in a new look defense, they have had to find a new way to play.
Read: Premier League Teams Discuss Covid-19 Break
However, Guardiola disagrees. In his opinion, his team simply needed to rediscover their old form.
“The result is incredible for us. To win at Stamford Bridge but especially the way we played. In this competition you have to play. We tried to play in a certain way like how we have in the past,” he said.
“We are a team who has to play in one certain rhythm. We cannot play like another team. We have to make 1,000 passes, picking the right moment in attack. We won the Premier League in this way, with the more patient style. We’ve missed that tempo and today we got it.
“Same manager, same backroom staff. My assistant coach changed but the players are the same and the idea is completely the same. The way we won the Premier League and four titles in one year is like today. It doesn’t matter where players play, that tempo we had in the past, today we recovered it.”
Read: Are Manchester United Good? Ole’s Men Continue To Confound
It is difficult for an idealogue like Guardiola to back down and admit he had to change. However, postgame quotes from Kevin De Bruyne reveal that Manchester City have indeed needed to adapt.
“We have different players so I think we play a little bit different this year. We adjust a little bit to the personnel we have. But I think the team is finding more the rhythm in the last month so I think we’re playing better. When we had the chances we took them and that makes the difference.”
