Manchester City head coach Pep Guardiola has credited Tony Pulis's Stoke City for inspiring the Premier League's increased focus on set-pieces and direct play. Guardiola acknowledged the growing importance of long throws and corners in the modern game, reminiscing about Pulis's strategic use of set pieces during his time with Stoke in the late 2000s, which helped the team achieve surprising success in the top flight.
"I remember a long time ago with Sean Dyche, Burnley were an incredible threat in the long balls, second balls," Guardiola stated. He also recalled the challenges posed by Sam Allardyce's teams and noted, "I remember when I was not here, Stoke City". Guardiola emphasized how Pulis's Stoke team made throw-ins a significant part of their attacking strategy. "Do you remember Stoke City when they made the throws? It happened in that time," he said.
Guardiola pointed out that while Stoke might have been an exception at the time, a growing number of teams are now adopting similar tactics. He recalled a conversation with Arsène Wenger, who managed Arsenal, about the difficulties of playing against Stoke City. "I remember when I was at Barcelona and Bayern Munich, Arsène Wenger talked about going to play at Stoke City, but now it happens a lot of times," Guardiola stated.
Despite acknowledging the effectiveness of set-piece strategies, Guardiola maintained that he would not abandon his principles. He remains focused on improving his team's overall play, attacking prowess, and chance creation. "Every manager does what they believe. I'm focused on that," Guardiola said. He added, "I want to score from free-kicks and corners – I'm not naive, I want it – but I spend my time on what we have to do to play better, attack better and create chances, to score goals".
Guardiola recognizes the importance of set-pieces as a threat in modern football, considering them a tactical aspect of the game, both defensively and offensively. He affirmed that his team is working on set-pieces and paying attention to them. However, he believes that controlling the game reduces the number of corners and throw-ins conceded.
Manchester City suffered a defeat against Aston Villa recently, with the only goal of the match originating from a corner. Guardiola noted that his team conceded too many corners in their game against Arsenal but did not concede a goal because they controlled the game.
Guardiola is also open to experimenting with his team's attacking lineup. He suggested the possibility of playing Omar Marmoush and Erling Haaland together, aiming to exploit the spaces between full-backs and central defenders with intensity. "Omar and Erling can play together," Guardiola said. "We need a proper winger in the side, but we need the players close to Erling, [to exploit] the gaps between full-backs and central defenders, and we need intensity. Omar is the best".
With a busy schedule ahead, Guardiola is prepared to rotate his squad. He confirmed that Divine Mukasa, an 18-year-old creative midfielder, will join the first-team squad for the Carabao Cup fourth-round match against Swansea. James Trafford is also set to return in goal, while Rodri remains unavailable. The match against Swansea will see City face a Championship side eager to keep possession.
