How Pep Guardiola has changed defending forever

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Pep Guardiola's teams have always been famous for their attacking, possession based football. But what most people don't realise, is that Guardiola might actually be the most defensive-minded coach in the world.
Today I'm looking at the unique intention behind Pep's tactics, and what sets his method apart from almost every other manager.
If you enjoy consider leaving a like :)
Sections:
0:00 The magic of Pep's Barça
00:36 Cryuff's system
1:09 The original rest defence
2:09 Squarespace
3:07 'Extra passes'
5:10 Order over chaos
8:04 Perfect balance?

[@thandowriting5120]

Pep and klopp matches are so even; one is control personified, the other is chaos and high pressure personified

[@HumanBeingsRThinkingBeings]

City win against Establishment LiVARpool win with Establishment FA-VARs No?

[@cole8957]

Don’t compare pep to klopp

[@BIazy]

​@@HumanBeingsRThinkingBeingsIt's the other way around bud

[@neel8407]

Hmm I saw the offside given, Odegaard playing basketball etc. all against Liverpool ​@@HumanBeingsRThinkingBeings

[@infidelMCR]

​@BIazy Definitely not mate. Salah is one of the worst divers in football and has never received a card for simulation and they are given countless wrong decisions in their favour. The favouritism within football and the media for Liverpool is actually beyond ridiculous and only delusional Liverpool fans don't see it lol

[@wiz3010]

Pep is wayyyyy to humble for what he's achieved at a fairly young age for a manager still 51. He could do this till 65 let's say. He still has half of his career left

[@Wilcoranking]

Humble.. 🤔 🙄.. Alrighty Then!!

[@bellerophon6897]

I admire him too but Pep is not humble at all, and it is fine. Nothing worse than fake modesty.

[@wiz3010]

@Wilcoranking Yes, humble!! More than most managers and players. He even lives his life simply. Maybe you just don't like him but watch/listen to him often, and you'll see. This guy gets disrespected too much, he's only 12 trophies behind SAF, who managed for 39 years. Guardiola has been managing for 15 years only

[@TheThreatenedSwan]

False humility

[@olugbengaremi3561]

He is very humble and Very Passionate about football. He made football and winning so easy

[@houdinisplug]

This was on full display vs Newcastle yesterday especially after KDB came on, the amount of times Newcastle turned over possession seconds after winning it was absurd, City didn't even have to do too much to ensure that, it was just the natural positions of their players particularly their CB's and Rodri who btw might be one of the best transition recovery holding mids we've seen for quite some time that enables them to win it back so effectively. They really are starting to look imperial once again and that is bad news for the rest of Europe.

[@jimmywalker8354]

Also, Isak was tired, he was never in good position to be an outlet.

[@sammybeutlin2763]

Bayern München just needs instead of Goretzka a defensive midfielder,who can kick the ball (Veerman,de Jong,A.Garcia) and Wirtz. Than Citys little time is over again.

[@TasteMyYarro]

​@@sammybeutlin2763 De Jong hahahah

[@Andy-bh8hw]

@@sammybeutlin2763keep dreaming little boy

[@akiraaoiichigo]

​@@sammybeutlin2763lol,I watch bayerns game everytime and they're not that quite upto city level😂,and why you idiots always forget the difference between Prem and other leagues.Its always high talk and disappear eance😂

[@ludwigkostmann4278]

I think that peps system of full control makes perfect sense, when u have one of the best if not the best players in each position. I think order creates a game state, where the team with better patterns and especially more talent will most likely win the game. I think chaos can override talent and can therefor help teams with lesser quality.

[@dinbachok6424]

Who is oscar bobb tho? When did he became the best in his position? Imo pep makes players into the best players. The real question how does he make his players have so much control and sharpness?

[@letsfail1228]

@@dinbachok6424 Oscar Bobb was a fantastic talent already as a 9-year old, with the ball glued to his feet and being able to do whatever he wanted to the opponents, while in Lyn (Norwegian Club). He did not come out of nowhere, you just didn't know about his incredible talent earlier.

[@LitoLochoss]

​@@dinbachok6424Not always lol Bob was is talanted won motm in CL group stages

[@itzeberg]

WORD!

[@goodman4093]

Mathematically it is called unknown variables. Rather than 22 variables, pep reduces it to 2 variable.(+A,-B) Mourinho also solved this equation by choosing the negative variable -B.

[@FroggyHarley]

I think Liverpool and Klopp are the best example of how you can still be dominant while just creating pure chaos. And he has been a rival to Pep for many years. Props to both of them for keeping this game so entertaining!

[@lupak99]

Klopp es un gran coach, pero en serio, mira la constancia, la regularidad y los títulos de Guardiola, y no hay debate.

[@PepTalkTillYouDrop]

Klopp's Liverpool isn't as chaotic as you think. If anything, Klopp "borrowed" his style from Pep. Chaotic teams are usually the direct football teams e.g. Inter Milan, Atleti, or every Mourinho team. And they all have one thing in common, "boring". They're all boring to watch. Liverpool on the other hand is entertaining.

[@timianalytics7150]

The comment I've been looking for... I've studied Klopp at Liverpool as a neutral football fan and I must say he's got tactics and players that neutralizes Guardiola's philosophy

[@alexanderomucheyi1857]

Klopps style leads to fatigue and requires marathoners. It is a high energy system. Pep's style allows players who aren't athletic or strong like Bernardo, Busquets and Iniesta to thrive

[@timianalytics7150]

@@alexanderomucheyi1857 sure you're right, when you find the right profile for your style, you're good... In fact, it doesn't matter what the style is, so far it's working... Mourinho was genius at parking the bus, he won the champions league with it and he's the special one

[@bobbymensah4025]

Top top analysis. You deserve your flowers. I believe it would be very interesting to analyze Klopp's embrace of chaos as well. I don't have the idea fully formed but it seem seems like the ideas explained in this video could be juxtaposed to Klopp's chaotic philosophy as well: 1. Klopp embraces players suited to intense energetic transitional football. While Pep believes he would "out-order" you to create an attack vs defence game and continue from there, Klopp seems to believe he would "out-chaos" you to create a game suited for his energetic players and continue the game from there. 2. Pep continues the game by hoarding onto the ball with short passes and using his players who are especially excellent in tight spaces. With the laws and dynamics of football slightly favouring attack over defence (offside law leniency, high xG penalties), his strategy makes a whole lot of sense. Keep the ball as close to the opponents goal (and penalty box) and take the game from there. The opponent would be as far away from goal as possible. If they're not exceptional in transitions, they're essentially waiting to die. Guardiola also tries to prevent transitions with a good rest defence with his inverted fullbacks and whatnot. 3. Now Klopp on the other hand... Hmm... He's embracing totally opposite ideas and he's currently top of the PL. Klopp's players are exceptional over big spaces and long balls. And he sure uses that strength. His Liverpool sides are barely outrun or outpressed. I believe while Pep coaches his players' decision-making in tight spaces, Klopp coaches right decision making and sharp quick thinking to his players over large spaces- direct accurate long balls to his devastating forwards (who i bet train a lot to finish transitions instead of small space play). Klopp counterpresses to keep the game TRANSITIONAL while Pep just wants to reset attack vs defence in the opponents third away from his goal. While Pep seems to prioritize rest defence, Klopp seems to do the opposite with his "rest attack"- he rarely makes his attackers especially his wingers drop deep except in long periods out of possession. They usually hang. Sometimes all three, subtly. But even then, with the quality of Mo-Salah he knows he can let only Salah 'hang' and Salah alone in large spaces can be exceptionally dangerous over large spaces even against an entire back four. So one long ball to Salah from VVD, Trent, MacA, Szobo and he it's a dangerous almost "one-on-one" attack vs defence scenario. Lot like Guardiola's whole team attack vs defence but qualitative transitional attack vs defence. He loves to create those transitions in the opponents half or final third via high pressing but even on opposition corner kicks, since CBs are usually out of position, even Salah alone up top is devastating when he is found by Alisson or Trent. Then Klopp adds his workman-like calvary to support Salah on these transitions. A goal "finishes" transitions because of a new kickoff lol. Klopp understands this. He also understands that if a chance is missed, the next best chance is via a counterpress(the best playmaker in his own words). Klopp is a genius in his own right. 4. Can't say which style is better but it's obvious Guardiola style is more suited to modern football. Why? Stamina and injuries simply put. Guardiola's style conserves so much stamina that he can manage a relatively small squad depth(see last season) while keeping most of his star players fresh. Oh and he needs highly technical players to pull his philosophy off. On the other hand, with too many games played in the modern game, Klopp's style even though effective is difficult to maintain long-term. Klopp understands this and that is why he was crying for more substitutes in a game to be increased. Now that it's increased, look where he is. He prioritises energy over technicality for most of his team as he knows that high intensity running and counterpressing would compensate for creativity. 5. It's funny how these two football geniuses can make your head spin with their philosophies. Guardiola uses attacking principles to defend (Guardiola may just one day open his mouth to say possession is the best form of defence, if he hasn't already). Klopp uses defensive principles to attack (gegenpressing). 6. Even though I'm a Barca fan and I relate more with Guardiola, i truly respect Jurgen Klopp. He knows what he needs. Energy and heart from players, fans(Anfield) and he sticks to his philosophy even though most other coaches of the modern era are Pep wannabes even when they don't have his profile of players. I observe Klopp closely. 5 substitutes per game may truly be the best thing to have happened to Klopp ever the past couple of seasons. Note: I'm not a football expert, just an avid football lover who thinks a lot about the game, lol. Cheers

[@Achill101]

Very well described. To possession football being a good defense, that has already been said by Cruyff: if you have the ball, the opponent can't score.

[@chapero1]

Did you send him flowers? That is so nice of you!

[@bobbymensah4025]

@@Achill101 There you go!

[@aravinthMRA]

A purist's narrative under 'The purist' video 👏 Great analysis man! P.s: Congratulations, you've perfectly spoiled the next video on this channel about the Klopp's philosophies.

[@Harvey_Mod]

Spot on1️⃣0️⃣0️⃣

[@kairihd3521]

This honestly made me look at possesion differently , i am a midielder but when i tell my teamates to have pausa or dont rush a play , they dont truly understand y, now i can fully make them understand, but i do like chaos of a game as captain i want to switch it up when we are ready

[@peixe_do_dallas8510]

Great video. I think what's incredible about is that he is a complete manager. To win a game he can adapt everywhere and his talent id is so good islt's like he was destined to be the best.

[@lexkanyima2195]

But was Pep pragmatic enough ? I mean he did attack more then defending.

[@peixe_do_dallas8510]

@@lexkanyima2195 I think so. Because when you defend more you are in some way letting the other team have more control of the ball, leading to less attacking from your team and more attacks of your opponents.

[@lexkanyima2195]

@@peixe_do_dallas8510 but the risk he took was unheard of.

[@peixe_do_dallas8510]

@@lexkanyima2195 What risks? Risk by attacking more? For him the best defense is to control the ball and suffocating the opponent by attacking all the time, pushing the other team back like the purist discussed on the video.

[@denizozanemre]

Great explanation of Pep's principles of positional play. His teams might not be as devoid of chaos as they seem at first glance though. The element of chaos might be the player's (final) decisions in Pep's teams. The more creative they are, the more chaos becomes observable in their decisions. Foden's recent goal against Everton is a great example. Because fully ordered teams would keep passing patiently to progress up the field in that position, while Foden sees the angle and executes the shot in a split second. Pep just sets the conditions in a way for the players to always be in an advantageous position, what they do in that position is up to them. He has massive respect for his players and knows when they need order, and when they need freedom from his personal experience as a player. He is often as surprised by the ways his players utilize this freedom as the spectators are. And he often expresses a sense of wonder towards his players decisions in his press conferences.

[@jacoblenton8796]

I think that while this is true for most games, pep has shown he can adapt and embrace chaos when needed, for example the arsenal game last season where he allowed arsenal to dominate the ball and hit them on the counter

[@Wilcoranking]

Allowed them to dominate.. 🤔 🙄

[@ahmedsinanovic6959]

​@@Wilcorankingwell dominate the ball. Arsenal was destroyed that game

[@sreenivaskamath4243]

Or the Atletico Madrid which was more of a wrestling match than a football match

[@shreyam1008]

Dude this is good level of footage collection, editing, narrative writing.. This seems some work has gone into it. Hope for the best int he future bro. keep it up.

[@noblesleem1077]

"It was Pep Guardiola's Barcelona that made me fall in love with football". Legendary introduction

[@PepTalkTillYouDrop]

Me too. I always liked football as I grew up watching it. But I fell in love after I watched Pep's Barca dismantle my Chelsea with "simple" passes. I still believe we(Chelsea ) should have won that game but I had never seen a team play football like that. And I made it a point of duty right then to watch all of Barça games, even though I loathed Barça with every fiber of my being. However, I couldn't help but fall in love with Pep's system.

[@choosetolivefree]

These kinds of videos are useful for me, as an American. Football is my favorite sport by far, I hate the popular sports in the US, and it's annoying that most of my fellow Americans regard football as a joke. But, as a result of growing up in the US, the strategies and tactics of this game are not something I'm super familiar with. At this point, I've been watching strictly European football since I discovered Messi in 2012. So my understanding has grown a lot. But videos like this are still very helpful to me. So thanks. I'm just waiting for the AC Milan vs Roma game to start in about an hour, I try to watch every ACM game since Christian Pulisic moved there from Chelsea. So glad he did, he's been doing great and staying in a match ready state for a long time, something which he has struggled to do for a lot of his career so far. AND. My pops and I have tickets to see Inter Miami (not a big fan of MLS, but, I mean, Messi, Busquets, Jordi Alba, and now even Suarez are here in the States) play next month in Miami. We already traveled over 2,000 miles to Miami back in September to try and watch Messi. But he was injured and not even a sub, so I was sorely disappointed. He'll be playing this time! I'm so excited. I'm a ridiculously massive Messi fan, I've religiously watched his every game w/ Barca and Argentina since I found him in 2012. It will be a bucket list item crossed off when I get to see him play in person. Plus, we're going to snag some tickets to see him with Argentina in the Copa America this year, which will be hosted in the States. One of the games will be played in Las Vegas, which is only about a 5 hour drive from home. Super excited for all of this, I sure hope Messi picks up a second Copa win!

[@goodman4093]

Usa to host another continent tournament, the copa America? It is beyond all imagination

[@choosetolivefree]

@@goodman4093 We don't deserve it, the way Americans regard the sport. But for guys like me that love football, I'm super glad

[@alfonsstekebrugge8049]

Please do understand if you are relatively new to the sport that videos like this tend to oversell the amount of innovation on display. Nothing about what Pep Guardiola is doing is actually new, it's just that it's very difficult for a team to pull off consistently so coaches tend to not take this path. Apart from Man City Guardiola worked for teams where a working similar system was already in place.

[@artcollier163]

what is difficult for American coaches in implementing any of these advanced tactical concepts is the realization that our players lack the basic technical skills to make such tactics work. If you cannot pass/trap with either foot you must resort to chaos. If you can't rondo you resort to kick and run. What a sheer pleasure it must be to have players that are so technically gifted so that one needs only focus organizing their tactics.@@alfonsstekebrugge8049

[@renanfilipe7459]

Hey, Also watch some Brazilian football to add some variety and see different styles. Some matches are painful to watch, others are pure art.

[@HT3897]

Im a real Madrid fan but Pep guardiola is the Best manager of all time

[@johnp515]

Wow, you must have a very extensive knowledge of the whole history of football.

[@c0ugar43]

seriously? are you 12? Pep is *possibly* the best manager at the moment (and that's quite debatable), but you obviously know nothing of football from history. Start with Cruyff and go from there. Xabi Alonso quite possibly has more right to be regarded as a the best manager in the world than Pep or even Klopp (who I think is arguably a better coach than Pep). What he has done in such a short time, with so little, is truly remarkable. And it is not a once off either - I'm excited to see what Alonso can do when he gets to a big club.

[@nuntius1]

@@c0ugar43 you must be 9

[@totalfootball7879]

Best football analysis channel on youtube by far💯

[@timheck3171]

I must say i've been watching your videos for quite a few time now and it is beyond amazing to me. The way you display and explain complex tactical situations including the variables that might make them vary, is absolutely great, I love it ! Can't wait for the next video

[@thepurist_]

Thanks for the kind words :)

[@subramaniamtg1108]

Absolutely! Excellent explanations

[@markobabic7238]

I greatly appreciate this video, as you have done an excellent job distilling Guardiola's philosophy in a digestible, yet detailed manner. Keep up the excellent work!

[@jimmywalker8354]

As a RM/MU fan, I get annoyed when people say he has the best players and anyone could do what he did. Okay, give Steve Bruce, Sam Allardyce, Tony Pulis his Barca, Bayern and City sides and let's see what they would do. Pep is the GOAT manager.

[@bench9967]

They never called them all best player until Pep trained them. Who call rodri/benardo/stones/akanji/foden/ and many more as the BEST PLAYERS before they play under Pep? I dont think any players under Pep now is consider BEST player if they play for other big teams

[@c0ugar43]

@@bench9967 ??!! Apart from Foden who came up through Man Cty's youth dev, (and even he was feted as the Next Big Thing - and has largely lived up to it - which had nothing to do with Pep and everything to do with his natural talent, even Pep admits that), all of these other players were bought because they were recognised as great players for their positions. Pep had very little to do with their development. Yes he knows how to get the best of out some players (but only the ones that buy into Pep and his machine approach), but he has also destroyed the careers of some players that he didn't like, probably the biggest one being Yaya Toure who was ranked as one of the world's best ever players (his stats and the impact on the teams he played for was incredible) but Pep didn't like his manager (a lot of people didn't because it is true that he was a dick) so closed Yaya out and ultimately ruined Yaya's later career prospects. Pep made a machine, and picks players that he believes he can mold into the particular cog he wants. And they are all exceptional players so their stats are tops and they can pull extra special stuff out when needed. He's done that at Barca, and all the way through he career - he's never had to build using unknown or also-ran layers.

[@lalitathithyan7645]

Amazing video, i've alawys wanted to learn tactics behind the game and felt like most of the stuff I watch just seem to fly over my head but this one was simple and understandable but having the required clarity.

[@Astronomynatureandmusic]

What to me is the most attractive and lovely about this style of play is: the players are less ego oriented as they are not primarily thinking of their own individual scoring chances, yet more of how to pass and get towards the goal TOGETHER. This means you create many more chances than just have one good attacking player who must have his day. The team spirit is more important than the big scoring individual.

[@c0ugar43]

But that's simply finding the players with the mentality that you want, and shifting those that aren't out the door. That's what Man City has - all the money in the world to be able to make that a continual revolving door until Pep gets what he needs. Where's the genius in that?

[@Astronomynatureandmusic]

@@c0ugar43 I detest the amount of money going around in soccer. However you can have all the money and still build poor teams - the examples are all around. What I find lovely in the face of demonic amounts of money is the fact there still is something non egotistical to be found.

[@RAYANAHMAIDCHAIRI]

THE BEST and SMARTEST way anyone has ever explained pep's city💯 thank youso much for this mind blowing videos💙

[@sanflux]

My favorite team América de Cali has a coach called Lucas Gonzalez who is trying to implement Guardiola or Arteta-esq playstyle! I love watching them control the game! They actually had a pretty good regular season but folded because coach didn't have enough time in the preseason. Now our owner invested in players that work for his style and is even about to recruit Arturo Vidal!! Colombian football is growing! 😄

[@Wilcoranking]

Adopting and following trends is growing? 🙄.. Christ Almighty 😮

[@1individeo]

Good luck to him. This system only works if you have the right players, while in Ancelotti or Zidane systems you only need good player. The other problem with this style is there is no plan B, meaning in KO tournaments, like the Champions League, the World Cup or Libertadores, you can surprise them and eliminate them. This is why Pep's style struggle to win the Champions League; they are predictable and in a two game tie they can be surprised. This system on the other hand works very well in leagues as players dont have to change the mindset game after game, they just have to do the same thing in every game.

[@latenightsteppin8660]

​@@Wilcorankingfor a team/league with such poor quality comparatively, yes

[@sanflux]

@@1individeo quite bad luck but he just got let go 😅

[@sanflux]

Supposedly club legend Ricardo Gareca is gonna become the coach

[@hungotuan4431]

Your content is just perfection. Always a food for thought ❤

[@md19974]

Another thing is that most City players weren't world beaters before joining City. Only Haaland, Grealish and Gvardiol (at least in the world cup) arrived at City with a superstar image. Guardiola completely transformed players such as Ake, Akanji, Cancelo, Stones, Rodri, Sterling (before leaving) and Bernardo Silva. It shows the calibre of Pep as a coach.

[@keenemokwena4342]

Ngl rodri was a beater like man pocketed Ronaldo s juve with Thomas

[@md19974]

@@keenemokwena4342 He was nowhere near the level he's reached at City. In his first two seasons at City, he didn't play like he does now. He was careless and made many mistakes. But now, he's the best CDM in Europe.

[@c0ugar43]

Absolute nonsense. Your list is laughable. You may not have known the players beforehand but almost every single Man City player bought in was already world-class player. Sterling was THE best forward in the EPL at the time, Stones was considered the top back, Ake was bought because he had the best stats for his position and had been a truly exciting payer for years... etc. etc. All of the players purchased are world-class, but the only ones that stay at Man City are the ones that fully buy into Pep's system fit into and excel in his machine. It's as simple as that.

[@freshavocadew]

Xavi needs to implement this "extra pass" thingy in Barcelona. We rush it too often. And I mean TOO OFTEN!

[@bethelfrancis]

Yes brother and I think it’s the players who are inpatient. That’s why I suggested we turn to our youth team for a pivot, they get it!

[@nuntius1]

we become man united at this point

[@sergiomorales9668]

Love this vid the detail … outstanding!!

[@aliticx]

My boys got sponsors now😎 you deserve it you’re one of my favs

[@waseegofur121]

Your best video so far bro. Amazing.

[@jamesbaxter4920]

A Guardiola team attacks like a spider constructing a web, with the same hypnotic beauty. A Klopp team comes in toting dynamite. Of course if you get the fuse length wrong, it can blow up in your face, or it can get thrown back with interest, but its never dull. Which is best? What's your favourite flavour and who prospers on the day. Great content - hope the comment helps the you tube algorithm

[@dalicodes]

The extra passes helps the opposing team to get into a defensive shape. This helps pep execute his plan because with the defensive shape of the opponent is in an anticipated shape, a predictable shape which he must have had his players practise to break.

[@marcusyoung24117]

Great video, learning more about the rest defense concept. 🧐

[@Steferiozzi]

Top video, Pep doesnt get the credit he deserves on what hes done to the game and more importantly how he much he has transformed players: starting from Busquets debut coming from la masia and benching Yaya Toure as one of his first moves as Barca coach, to today having Rodri be prob the best player of the 2023 champions league, or transforming Ake and Alaba to LB or even Stones to CDM to recover possession and keep the order quicker. Extra pases to keep the order over chaos and positioning of the lines, the man truly is a living legend and changed the game forever.

[@c0ugar43]

I think what you mean is that nowadays Cruyff doesn't get the credit he deserves (nor Rinus Michels) - what Pep does is entirely based in Cruyff's work which was developed from total football (a concept developed by by Rinus Michels). Yes, he knew to pick Busquets but the fact that he didn't know how to utilise a talent like Toure is truly remarkable (and not in a good way). Mind you, Toure's manager was a total dick so maybe that had a lot to do with it, but Toure was a truly exceptional talent, far better than Busquets in terms of world-scale. and should have played a more attacking position more forward. And apart from Busquets there are almost no players he has brought through who weren't top level payers. Barca, Bayern & Man City's money meant they could source just the type of players for Pep's Cruyff-inspired machine.

[@user-lt7vv6rw7n]

The question is how many played under Cruyf , how many have managed to replicate the same in the modern game , it’s wrong to think every thing is due to cruyf . He has abit of cruyf but mainly its his philosophy

[@MicDubTV]

Phenomenal video, yet again!

[@thomaslaruywe6557]

This is the best football video I ever saw. Even from all your videos this one is the best!

[@sarikatharyn]

this is so interesting and made so well

[@suryac850]

Very well explained. Thanks for the video mate.

[@thepurist_]

Glad you enjoyed!

[@cruztube23]

This is so true. Great video!

[@hugomarx1324]

This City team crush that Barca team of 11 with ease. Tactically and physically they are far more advanced and those outdated tactics of 2011 doesn't stand a chance

[@JX2209]

Honestly, I prefer a good mix of chaos and order, but it's undeniable that being able to consistently keep your game plan in order to succeed is one of the most pleasant things I've noticed whenever I see a Guardiola team (except Bayern because I support Dortmund)

[@fresh2defff]

Liverpool is that good mix of chaos and order, only team that has been on City's level in the last 7 yrs

[@talkothetoon]

Best football channel out there by far ⚽️ 🙌

[@roberthubbard5696]

Watching this a second time, I notice you say that Pep wants to reduce the number of variables. Actually, he is reducing the variability of the most important variables. His competition (Arteta, Alonso soon) are changing the importance of some key variables which Pep now has to address. It's even more complicated than you showed. Wonderful game.

[@franciscosalanova6601]

Great video! I am going to watch Klopp's one to compare styles ;)

[@moratgurgeh]

Such a good video man

[@esmatfahim3399]

As stated in the video, this style of football is very vulnerable to the unknowns, which usually come in the form of teams that are very aggressive with their counterattacks and who have very speedy forwards or wingers.

[@MampsUK]

Excellent video learnt so much in this video

[@angerisdiscipline3913]

Reducing luck and uncertainty is worth if you are the better team , if you are able to generate more occasions and have better quality players if not you better gamble a little bit to have more chances

[@varunl6948]

So good to watch this!

[@mondlimathonsi3402]

I'd say it's all about your preference..Many great managers find a way to achieve the same goal

[@akalaiderxd9686]

I know this is somewhat unrelated but the game League of Legends used to have a similar meta with reducing mistakes as much as possible and just slowly pressuring the opponent to make mistakes till then insure a lead. The meta game changed due to a player insisting on taking that risk and getting a higher risk to reward ratio than the safer game. Perhaps football will go through the same evolution with a simple safe game losing out to a riskier strategy that seeming takes opportunity that weren’t there.

[@user-ob3dc9os9y]

Interesting, insightful, and not unrelated at all. Any concise resources or videos explaining this shift?

[@dioivan77755]

​@@user-ob3dc9os9y World championship 2015, 2016, 2017 -> Order, then it started transitioning, probably the clearest examples 2018, 2019. Following year was sort of a mix, 2021, 2022 -> more chaotic. it is worth to note that meta shifts are not only related to coaches, players etc., but how the game evolves as well. If we go even further back, to 2012, 2013, 2014, players were taking even more risks (compared to 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022), but the reward was also much higher. Nowadays, meta shifted so much that some of the "high reward" plays are not as rewarding due to all of "comeback" mechanics which were introduced like so many years ago to make the games more interesting due to many reasons. I don't know about the resources or videos explaining the shift though :)

[@Bedoroski]

This topic is indeed very abstract, and has to do philosophical stuff

[@siddhant46s54]

Love my team Man City , love my manager The GOAT Pep Guardiola, had the best time of my life in the quintuple 22/23 season, we’re obviously winning the double again with the UCL and PL + anything more is a bonus, life’s fuckin good , im a happy man!

[@rnjyoung1]

Great video and explanation.

[@MarcDejo]

Phenomenal analysis

[@hansgruber9093]

Brilliant video. More on Prem teams please. Would love to see how Klopp, Arteta and Ange differ from this. My guess would be similar in terms of the desired structure, but the loss of the "extra pass" leaves these teams more open on the counter. But perhaps more exciting to watch.

[@udefunamark1877]

Back to back purist videos 🎉🎉🎉

[@FelipePacheco10]

I love how football is so diverse, there's the passionate about their clubs people that don't really care about anything else or even understands football, they just want their team to win, there is world cup fans, once every 4 years they'll care about their country, there is the players and wannabe players, there is the FIFA players that don't even care about the reeal thing, and then there is the football nerds like most of us on this channel lol, I feel like we all have a team but if we see great football being played by another club even a rival one we'll get some joy out of it.

[@kehindeAde-onojobi]

You have perfectly described it

[@Weybrix]

Brilliant video!

[@wes4SLY]

Your analysis are the best. Can you do one for Chelsea so that we can understand where the problem is. Thanks

[@davicosta3915]

Mate, just for curiosity, do you have an academic formation or something like that? No need to answer if you think it's too personal. You're by far my favorite football analyst across the internet

[@MayorDesu]

I love this video! 🙏🏾

[@tejshah3495]

Great analysis!

[@Gianluca_GF]

I loveeeeee these videos man

[@kevnetti]

I agree with all the points you brought here about Pep’s system. Would love to see a breakdown of Jorge Jesus’ system and how it compares to Pep’s.

[@user-xm7jy3di5s]

the best KZbin channel

[@User123ar5vj3]

Bro I know now, so that's why they always make extra passes, to allow players to get back in position n avoid chaos, so simple yet effective for the plan

[@Sui_Generis0]

Best footballing youtube channel

[@eliandthatsit]

sean dyche holds the line of chaos and order and is now getting better players with everton and I'm stoked about it

[@user-uh4hb7tz5y]

Agree that Pep teams at their best triumph embrace order and particularly domination of the ball. They have tended to struggle against the few teams that can combine a resolute defensive block particularly low block and exceptionally fast counter attacking capability.

[@arassenova]

If you have the best players, preventing chaos as much as possible leads to higher probability of winning. However, if your team happens to have less skillful players than the opposing team, then creating chaos can be a great strategy to get that unlikely win.

[@norbertomezzaucella9283]

2:38 Last month I had lunch with Coti, Román's sister. GREAT VIDEO!

[@ytubepaul]

Fascinating!

[@flyingaviator8158]

Great Video!

[@thepurist_]

Thanks!

[@TheManavk]

10/10 video

[@vujhvjvgvfujk9888]

6:30 This is the reason why Pep didn’t hesitate to pay 100 million for Jack Grealish. He was so effective for the system in keeping possession and playing the boring passes, but unfortunately many people still fail to see his value in the team.

[@MrVvulf]

You can't pay attention to the "average" football fan or YT commenter. The same people who deride Grealish didn't appreciate Foden or Palmer for the past couple years. Pep develops players and if he isn't going to use them, he allows them to move on (Palmer, Mahrez). Pep learned from the best during his playing days, Johan Cruyff, and he has surpassed him. Pep has much better interpersonal skills than Cruyff did. Cruyff famously had terrible relationships with some of his biggest stars during Pep's playing days (Laudrup, Romario).

[@kingramsey_j9428]

you really are the purist!

[@user-gz5wl5to6k]

He is just incredible

[@ralphy19]

Great breakdown

[@kylerodd2342]

For a league structure it seems to work very well. He’s great at dominating leagues for the long run. He doesn’t risk a lot and therefore wins out over the long period of time. In cup runs it’s all about risk/reward. He doesn’t risk much and doesn’t get rewarded as much as we’d expect his teams to. So it’s definitely not perfect but definitely pretty. Personally, I like the chaos. I like the chaos players. Those who just open up a game out of nowhere. Ronaldinho is my favorite player. But Pep did not like him. It makes sense why he didn’t. But that’s why Pep isn’t my favorite manager at all.

[@emilevangheem6165]

He embraced more chaos last season and definitely this season. I am thinking of Arsenal and Bayern much more direct and risky which paid off. This year less so because they didn’t choose it just happened because of a lack of personnel most of the time

[@turbaw]

Me too. I personally love the chaos football. That's why my favourite manager is Carlo Ancelotti. He doesn't care about the structure or specific positions on the field. So that's why they can create chances from nowhere.

[@kennymichaelalanya7134]

Old school football from south america loves the ball played for the most part on the ground as Guardiola says. In Spanish, if you do a long ball pass, you "gamble" the shot and that is called "rifar" which means you kick the ball without direct precision or accuracy. My dad who played soccer in the 1950s and 1960s strictly played football this way.

[@Theactivepsychos]

Super fast and accurate strong players can be an antidote to this. The old hit into space and run from midfield works well if you can disguise your intentions and have decoy players take he attention off the defenders. Used to be a ugly way to play but beckham and then Ronaldo did this to perfection.

[@ComfortKM]

I’d love an analysis on how Zambia plays. There are weaknesses that I don’t have the language to properly describe or address. I’m hoping you can provide that for a team that often play… relatively poorly.

[@lukelocks9083]

Great vid! That's why PEP is the GOAT. He dominated every league he went, BARCA-Spain, Bayern-Germany (ok they were top dogs anyway but he kept them there), CITY- England. His eye for a player AND their character is exquisite, they just seemlessly splice into his teams. Wenger had it for the 1st half of his Arsenal reign, Vieira, Henry, Anelka, but it later bombed and turned into Stepanovs, Alumina, Cygan. Fergie had it too but his achevievements have to be considered against MU were the ONLY team with money them days. PEP has seen off several other rich clubs for several years now..

[@c0ugar43]

Barca was the second biggest club and they had Messi, and enough money to fulfil Guardiola's machine-fulling wishes. Bayern were the top, had the most money in that league buy far and had a world-beating team before he joined there. And Man City has an unlimited supply of money for Guardiola to buy and sell until he gets his *perfect match* for this system. I'm not saying he's a lousy coach, he's a very smart coach and does get create the envionrment for success from his system and choice and use of players, but anyone who cannot recognise what I've said is just a Guardiola fanboi. He didn't create the system he uses in the first place, it's taken from Rinus Michels and was honed by Cruyff. If you want to see someone who has achieved truly remarkable coaching success look at either Ange Postecoglou long and hugely successful career or Xabi Alonso's young career, particularly his recent work with Leverkusen. And it's also hard to ignore Klopp who has achieved success with underdogs and much less money than his rivals. If anyone builds players it is him.

[@chorakdoon6658]

Man city has shown some questionable displays lately and created some "chaos" resulting in dropping some points. I can personally see Doku giving away the ball a little bit too frequently(although he seems a little bit more productive than Grealish) and Gvardiol is having a hard time positioning himself. City players give passes totally expecting Gvardiol to be there when he is too far up the pitch and stuff. Of course I get that Doku and Gvardiol are new comers and they will need some time to adjust into Pep's game, I see plenty of potential from both of them. What do you think guys is there other reason City is seemingly struggling with gaining control? I was personally annoyed that some people are always pointing at defenders and the goal keeper for conceding.

[@lolgod1695]

Midfield. Kovacic has had some good games obviously, but we're struggling with the lack of Gundogan who could contribute both defensively and offensively which leaves big gaps and Rodri covering too much space- Rodri's heatmap is all over the place. John Stones's injuries have exacerbated the issue as City is a totally different team when he and Rodri are in a double pivot.

[@emilevangheem6165]

For absolute control city need Stones and Rodri in midfield. To win games they need KDB. They used to have Gundogan who was the balance and who controlled the pace. At points in the season none of these players were on the field. That makes it very hard for city to dominate/win. When Stones returns City and KDB/rodri stays fit with foden or Silva in the second 8 spot city will probably dominate again. Remember Pep’s important people are almost always in the midfield. That’s where the game is won or lost most of the time

[@rainbowsprankles6085]

Speed is still king on defense. This is why Peps most capped player is Walker. If Pep could trade Dias for Van De Vin, he probably would even though Dias is a great player/defender/leader. If Peps style of control based possession was that revolutionary, everyone would do it but there are not many imitators. Arteta is close but he studied directly with Pep. It’s so hard to play like peps teams. To have players so adept and patient with the ball that have to know the perfect moment to become aggressive is tough to teach. Time will tell if in 10 years, all teams use on-ball control as the main for of defense. I hope it happens but I think doubtful

[@Aaronrami]

Chaos can for sure override talent. I think though if you are able to output talent in chaos you can learn to be more of an adaptive player. Chaotic situations help you develop your instinct for the game and helps you know your place in situations like these. Or even further, if you can utilize your talent the way you want to efficiently and effectively, then you’ve taken your awareness of the game to another level. Of course some of the elements of chaos are unpredictability, un control , confusion, and other variables, so it’s not always going to work in your favor. I just think adapting to chaotic situations or to anything really and just doing your best while staying calm is the way to go. Much love ❤

[@pizzafria8877]

I am from Barcelona and watched all Guardiola's games as a coach since he started here. I think he would be very happy watching this video. Congrats man, I love it. Answering your question, of course it is a matter of prenference, but in my opinion the best way to master football is trying to make it less random. The high level of uncertainty in football makes it often an unfair sport. I recommend you to learn more about Barça's long history and the part Real Madrid played in Guardiola's obsession to control as many aspects of the game as possible, to make sure his teams are by far the best in the pitch.

[@c0ugar43]

of course he would, because it's an out-and-out Guardiola fanboi video.

[@pizzafria8877]

@@c0ugar43 so what? I don't fckn care about who is a fan and who is not... just look at the facts he shared and try to argue against that if you can

[@quinosonic82]

and that is why Pep almost never books Brazilian players... because those fellows thrive in chaos

[@karti670]

Yeah city style is boring for me is way too pragmatic for my liking.I prefer to watch coaches like naglesmann tuchel klopp teams when it comes to entertaining football

[@lestwins8114]

The best combination of pragmatic ,possession and chaos high pressing is ajax 2019

[@karti670]

@@lestwins8114 unfortunately I've seen them only in ucl so a very little sample size

[@Writeous0ne]

The amazing thing about Peps tactics is the best way to defend against them is to drop into a low block and concede possession but then this just plays into his hands because that's what he wants anyway

[@GuilhermeSantos-hd6kl]

watching barça with messi, xavi, iniesta, busquets, dani alves, was just another level. Never seen anything like that.

[@felixntui4729]

Actually it was Master Mario Zagalo who invented this system,in 1970 world cup ,because he had no marking midfielder,he had 5 players in his who were number 10 in their respective teams ,( Pelé,Rivelino ,Gerson, Tostão,Jairzinho ) só he had to como up with a system that could give them the possibility to play to their best without getting tired trying to take the ball back ,even Claudoaldo who was position as defensive was an offensive midfielder,and Zagalo used the triangle , it's to date called in Brazil triangulação,Pep and Cruijf had big merit ,but Zagalo is the man .

[@LucianoCantabruel]

all of it, plus, the longer the team has posesión of the ball, the less opportunities the other team for scoring, so long posesión is a way of improving defense.

[@astretch10one]

Do you have analyses on Jupp Heynkes,Carlo Ancellotti,Zinedine Zidane,Jürgen Klopp,Vincent Del Bosque and Didier Deschamps? we'd love to see it

[@armyaj]

Jose Mourinho's Real Madrid. The greatest counterattack team ever made. Soaks in the Chaos of a turnover from a compact defense that presses. At first glance that would seem counterintuitive because Jose would want his players well organized and together but then any one of them can at the drop of a hat (especially when you have Ronaldo and Angel) can zoom forward and beat the opposition before they can get in to their defensive structure

[@martan1231]

Cruijff once said: 'if you get me 1 on 1 in a big space I am bad at defending, but give me small space to work with and I'm a world class defender'. You create the small space by organizing in position and retrieve the ball by transitioning quickly

[@gbalis79]

Whether chaos or organisation, the key to consistent success is always a crop of good players

[@Djiehh]

I think it is sensible to reduce chaos and maximize predictability if you have a superior team. If you're Man City or prime Barcelona, the quality of players you have at your disposal is so immense, it will give you an advantage in basically all areas of the pitch for most of your games. And if you make the game more predictable and less chaotic, the sheer quality will be more likely to overwhelm your opposition. If you're an underdog facing superior teams most of the time, it seems more intuitive to maximize chaos and try to create as many hectic situations as possible in order to level the playing field. But in the end, it mostly depends on what your players are best suited for. If you have a supremely physical team with less technical prowess, it wouldn't make sense to try for a ball control approach, and if you have one or two players who are clearly superior to the rest of your squad, it makes sense to try and channel play through them first and foremost.

[@Kiky001]

@3:15 that''s an interesting position for Liverpool.

[@uptodown4292]

I love your videos

[@nanakwameagyei8481]

Magic