Guardiola’s friend and journalist Marti Perarnau spoke to the former City coach about his use of wide wingers during the 2016-17 season.
As noted in Perarnau’s book, The Pep Revolution, Guardiola said: “It’s a difficult process. You can’t just talk to [the wingers] and expect everything to happen.
“My first challenge is to convince [the wingers]. Just stay there on the wing, stay wide. Bide your time, be patient and your moment will come.
“Then, when you do get your chance, think about it, how many opponents am I going to have to get past?
“The answer? Just one.
“We’ve come up with this whole strategy so that you, the winger, only have to dribble past one man and sometimes there will be nobody in your way. On the other hand, if you stop paying attention and drift into the middle, how many will you have to get past? Four!”
Guardiola, of 10 years ago, perfectly describes the logic and strategy behind Maresca’s current system, and one that still works.
Across pre-season, Antoine Semenyo, stationed on the flank, was arguably City’s standout player, receiving the ball with time and space to run at his full-back. These situations commonly resulted in him arriving close to the box, cutting it back for a forward to tap the ball in, behind the opposition’s defence.
For the players behind the winger, the game is simplified into looking to find this repeatable situation.