Since the recent rise of Arsenal and Liverpool, we usually make the mistake of underestimating Pep Guardiola and his Manchester City, however, it is a team that we have become accustomed to, in terms of consistency, it has the regularity of few teams in Europe. This year is no different, and if many already saw Arsenal as the likely champion, just look at the standings and realize that Manchester City is a mere 4 points away from the lead and they remain hungry for titles.
Mentality: Positive
Advertising – Continue reading below
Ball Training: 4-3-3
Training Without the Ball: 4-3-3
With the huge change in the game engine in Football Manager 26, the way tactics are constructed has changed substantially, forcing the player to think separately about positioning and behavior with the ball and without the ball. It’s something new that, in my opinion, made sense a long time ago, and which fortunately arrived in this year’s edition. As such, this is how we will exemplify the tactic in question, not only in terms of systems and tasks, but also, later on, in the Team Instructions.
Use: In the case of Team Instructions, simply follow the names and symbols represented in the images, as each one represents a specific instruction.
Positions (In Possession of the Ball/Without Possession of the Ball)
Donnarumma (Goalkeeper/Goalkeeper)
O’reilly (Wing/Worker Wing)
Gvardiol (Central Defense/Central Defense)
Rúben Dias (Central Defense/Central Defense)
Matheus Nunes (Wing/Worker Side)
Rodri (Recessed Game Builder/Defensive Midfielder)
Reijnders (Medium Between the Lines/Medium Worker)
Bernardo Silva (Construction Medium/Medium Worker)
Foden (Interior Forward/Wider)
Haaland (Forward/Forward)
Cherki (Interior/French Forward)
Instructions to the Team (With Ball)
Guardiola definitively cut the three defenders and returned to 4-3-3. There were several changes in the last year, but the most relevant was the return to the origins. Pep knew that City needed to return to the intense and dominating team that we have become accustomed to in the past, and it seems that his players feel more comfortable that way. The proof is in the results, and in some moments of form from players like Haaland, Bernardo Silva, Foden and Cherki, who have offered the creativity and effectiveness that the team so desperately needed.
Instructions to the Team (Without the Ball)
Football has changed in recent times, and Guardiola knows this better than anyone. Today it is much more difficult to control games, and for this reason the defensive transition has gained even greater weight. The Spanish coach has been adapting to this new reality, and this season has shown that, with a much more stable and competent Manchester City in the defensive moment. They continue with pressure that always tries to be suffocating, but now much more calculated and aware that it is not always possible to win the ball in the opponent’s half.
Notes:
– Quality positional attack
– Huge capacity in possession
– Coordinated high blood pressure
I would say that, based on the experience of Guardiola and his players, only a very mentally strong Arsenal will finish this championship in first place. It is a team that is used to these wanderings, and that gains especially strength when it realizes that the opponent is starting to doubt itself.
