Pep Guardiola belongs to the type of coach who never allows his mind to rest for even a second. He is always exploring, creating, and adapting to stay ahead in modern football.
At the beginning of his coaching career, Pep Guardiola used only one holding midfielder. Specifically, in the 4-3-3 formation he applied at Barcelona, Sergio Busquets was his chosen and trusted player.
When he moved on to manage Bayern Munich, Pep pushed defender Joshua Kimmich to play as a central midfielder. It was a groundbreaking move, and the German international excelled in this new role.
Recognizing that football tactics were evolving and that a holding midfielder like Busquets at Barcelona was no longer enough, Pep deployed Bastian Schweinsteiger to support Kimmich in midfield. Bayern Munich then shifted to playing with a half-holding midfielder.
Continuing at Manchester City last season, Pep Guardiola chose Rodri as his holding midfielder. In fact, in the first half of the season, the Spanish star was the only one "sweeping" the midfield. But then, Guardiola had another innovation. He pushed center-back John Stones up to play as a central midfielder.
Once again, in Pep Guardiola's tactical system, we see the existence of a half-holding midfielder in the lineup. Stones supported Rodri excellently in both defensive duties and distributing the ball, and he also performed remarkably when dropping back to defend. It is not an exaggeration to say that pushing Stones to play as a midfielder was a turning point decision by Pep, paving the way for Manchester City's historic "treble" in the 2022/23 season.
Pep Guardiola's brilliant mind also turns full-backs into versatile stars. From using pure full-backs like Dani Alves or Joao Cancelo, he lets them develop into hybrid wing-backs. These stars include Philipp Lahm, David Alaba, Oleksandr Zinchenko, and Kyle Walker – players who are ready to support central midfielders in ball recovery and contribute to the attacking play.
Even in utilizing forwards, Pep Guardiola never allows his players to be content with one position. Erling Haaland in the previous season is a typical example. When he first arrived at Manchester City, the Norwegian striker seemed to fit only as a center forward. He even made Pep Guardiola shake his head in frustration and at times, change the team's playing system to suit Haaland's style.
But over time, Pep trained Haaland into a modern and versatile striker. The Norwegian forward operates in a wider range, is willing to play as a winger, and when needed, drops deep to recover the ball and provide assists to his teammates. Statistics show that in the 2022/23 season, Haaland provided 9 assists.
There is no doubt that with Pep Guardiola, constantly stimulating the mind and adapting to change is the only way to survive and thrive in the ever-evolving football landscape.
