Guardiola’s Trust Wavers in Current City Squad: Owen

It wasn’t the first time a Guardiola team conceded a late goal or missed out on three points. What was surprising was the possession statistic.

Throughout his managerial career at Barcelona, Bayern Munich, and Manchester City, Guardiola’s teams are known for their attacking, possession-oriented play. However, against Arsenal, he replaced attackers with defenders to protect a narrow 1-0 lead. City ended the match with just 33% possession, the lowest ever for a Guardiola-led side.

“This is something I’ve never seen from Pep,” said Michael Owen, former England striker and current pundit, speaking to HT. “He was bringing on defenders and taking off players who can hold the ball. It possibly shows a lack of confidence in his current squad.”

During his nine seasons at City, Guardiola has led them to six Premier League titles, including four consecutive titles. This streak ended dramatically last season, with City finishing in third place, which is below Guardiola’s usual standards.

This season hasn’t started smoothly for City either, as they are currently fourth after seven matches. According to Owen, Guardiola is still in the process of building trust with his team, which is undergoing a transition.

Key players like Ederson, Kyle Walker, Ilkay Gundogan, and Kevin de Bruyne left City during the summer transfer window. Three of them were part of the squad that won six league titles with Guardiola, except Gundogan, who participated in five.

“If he had his team from two or three years ago, he probably wouldn’t have changed tactics against Arsenal,” said Owen, who is in Mumbai for the Premier League India’s engagement week. “He might have had more confidence in his team to maintain possession and potentially score another goal. It seems his confidence in this current team isn’t as strong as before.”

While Guardiola is still working on trusting his team, his former assistant, Mikel Arteta, is finding success managing current Premier League leaders Arsenal.

Often taunted by fans, Arsenal hasn’t won the league since their unbeaten 2003-04 campaign. Under Arteta, who took over in 2019, Arsenal has finished as runners-up for the past three years. Owen believes the Gunners are on the right track.

“People say Arsenal always finishes second, but remember Manchester City’s initial struggles before their success,” said Owen, who played for Liverpool, Real Madrid, and won the league with Manchester United.

“Liverpool won twice in six years, with several second and third-place finishes. If Arsenal continues on this path, they’ll win soon. They reached the Champions League semi-final last year and have improved this year. They are likely to win soon, maybe even this season.”

Isak-Ekitike Dilemma

Defending champions Liverpool also made significant investments during the summer transfer window.

Owen expressed his surprise at Liverpool’s extensive recruitment, with the club signing ten players for over £400 million. Among the new arrivals is Alexander Isak, signed for a British record fee of £125 million.

Swedish striker Isak joined the Reds after fellow new signing Hugo Ekitike had already impressed. With manager Arne Slot preferring a single-striker formation, it’s intriguing to see how he will manage both.

“So far, it’s been manageable due to suspensions,” said Owen. “However, there will come a time when both are fit, and a decision needs to be made regularly. Spending £125 million implies Isak is expected to be the first-choice striker, but if Ekitike continues to score, it will be tough to overlook him.”