Guardiola the pragmatist overcomes Barcelona
The
idea that a Pep Guardiola side will finish a game with just 40 percent
of possession is rather obscene given the Catalan's ruthless approach to
the game, and yet it proved enough to claim a stunning victory against Barcelona, of all sides.
Controlling
the game for large parts of the first-half, the Blaugrana looked to be
at their best against a haphazard Manchester City side devoid of
penetrative threat.
Their 4-0 defeat at the Camp Nou appeared to
be vivid in the Citizens' minds, and yet they hauled themselves out of
the mire to win 3-1 at the Etihad Stadium.
Luis Enrique's men
bossed the possession statistics, making 519 passes to City's 315, with
goalkeeper Willy Caballero even instructed to kick the ball long as part
of Guardiola's counter-attacking plans.
Having stated his desire
to stick to his guns when arriving in Manchester, it appears that a
topsy-turvy spell in the English side's dugout has inspired Guardiola to
dare to add some variety to his game.
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