The reporter reported coldly Eight years ago, Pep Guardiola's debut season in charge of Manchester City was a four-big drain, and the Spaniard vowed that was not what the Blues should be. In the following season, Manchester City invested more than 370 million euros in the ball market, and then began a golden era of monopoly of the Premier League for seven seasons. This time, the media and fans are waiting to see what Manchester City will invest in. The signing of a top attacking midfielder is urgent, and the Abu Dhabi royal family has also given Pep Guardiola enough funds to bring in reinforcements.

But is it just Manchester City that needs to be rebuilt? As early as March, the Athletic Network raised the ultimate question: Manchester City's failed season could indeed be excused by Rodri and the subsequent mass of injuries, but it is not only the players who need to iterate, but also Pep Guardiola's own thinking.

As the Daily Mail said after Crystal Palace's shock FA Cup triumph, Crystal Palace's victory was a football victory, and it proved that it is not worth billions of dollars to book trophies. Even Pep Guardiola himself seems to be aware of this, saying in an interview with TNT at the end of last year that modern football should be like "Bournemouth, Newcastle United, Brighton & Hove Albion and Liverpool, where football is less about positional feeling now." Guardiola has hinted that modern football is drifting away from the pass-and-possession style he has adhered to for years, which may be the reason why City have struggled so much this season and Guardiola has lost 16 games in a single season for the first time in his managerial career.

Pep Guardiola is about to accelerate City's metabolism with great fanfare, and Guardiola himself may have to keep up with the times and correct his team's course to a truly modern football direction.

Injuries are the appearance, style is the fundamental

In fact, the Champions League exit has already set the tone of Manchester City's season in advance. Because Manchester City had no hope of winning the Premier League at that time, even if the FA Cup was finally won, it could not hide the defeat of the whole season. Indeed, as Pep Guardiola said: the injuries of key players such as Rodri, the aging of the main players such as De Bruyne, Gundogan, B and Kovacic, plus the poor performance of stars such as Haaland, Foden and Grealish, have brought Manchester City a failed season, and it is time to rebuild the team.

But the defeat in the FA Cup final at Wembley Stadium, which condensed City's season as a whole, revealed that Pep Guardiola's typically inefficient, slow pace and lack of more direct impact of pass-and-control football thinking were the root cause of City's failure this season.

Of course, it would be a mistake to crudely say that Pep Guardiola's pass-and-control football is outdated. Serious injuries to core players like Rodri, and objective reasons such as De Bruyne, B and Gundogan's main players are far below the best level, which has led to the loss of the power of Manchester City's successful passing and controlling football style. After all, any style of team, after losing the peak form of so many main players, is likely to fall into the same predicament.

In Pep Guardiola's view, Manchester City must keep up with their opponents at an unbelievable pace, but unfortunately his side simply can't. Pep Guardiola emphasised the importance of the lack of a workhorse and stressed that it has nothing to do with style. However, compared to the two Manchester City teams against Crystal Palace in a month, Manchester City are only missing the defender Mateo Kovacic, who is not an integral part of Pep Guardiola's tactical system.

The results of the FA Cup final, as well as City's performances this season with Kevin De Bruyne and Erling Haaland's fitness, prove that even without injuries, Pep Guardiola's style is not as effective as he thinks it is. More and more teams are realising that the more they push City into possession, but the more direct attacking play is the basis of the strategy to beat City. This, most of City's 16 defeats this season, has amply demonstrated it.

Pep Guardiola needs more change

City's injury crisis will always pass and new top players will be coming in, but relying on the existing pass-and-control football, it has become increasingly difficult for the Blues to overcome their Premier League opponents. As Pep Guardiola himself has realised: "More and more teams like football with more resolute marking, more aggressive in attack, and especially more at the back. English football has always been more direct, and even more so now than in the past. ”

Since the start of the 2022/23 season, Pep Guardiola has been trying hard to make a difference. Manchester City are also increasing the number of long passes that go over midfield and the number of forward passes. But before they were knocked out of the Champions League by Real Madrid, Pep Guardiola was convinced that this change of style was only a stopgap measure, and once the main players returned, Manchester City would still play the sharp football of the past. Despite frequent defeats in the league, with Manchester City reaching the FA Cup final, it was once thought that Pep Guardiola was right.

It's just that from the dreary Manchester derby to the draw at the bottom of Southampton, to the record possession in the FA Cup final, Pep Guardiola should also be aware that Manchester City's tactical changes are just as necessary.

In the face of more man-to-man defense and more direct counter-attacks, what should Manchester City do in the new season?

Pep Guardiola's response remains the same as in past few seasons: giving his players a 'cup of coffee', passing the ball more, being more patient and avoiding the defence being penetrated by the opposition's long balls. But now such inefficiency and negative passing can no longer bring victory to Manchester City. People even think of the little spider "Alvarez", there are so many stars who have left Manchester City over the years that it stands to reason that he should not be more important. But in fact, his departure is more like removing the gear of the Manchester City chariot. Losing the space, movement and goals he brought up front, City lost the possibility of a change of style.

Whether Wirtz, Reinders, Thielemans or Gibbs White join this summer, or Pep Guardiola gives Oscar Bob, McCarty or Lewis more time, the key to Manchester City's re-emergence as title favourites is to be like any other enterprising team: a more direct attack based on pass-and-possession football, adding more tempo and more aggression to the game.