Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has surprisingly pointed to Tony Pulis’s successful Stoke City side from over a decade ago as an inspiration for the Premier League’s current shift towards more direct play and set-piece focus.
Speaking ahead of City’s Carabao Cup clash with Swansea, Guardiola acknowledged the growing importance of "long throws and corners" this season, with data showing a 15-year low in Premier League passing.
While the Catalan coach insisted he won't abandon his core principles, he conceded that rivals like Brentford and the new-look Nottingham Forest under Sean Dyche are leveraging these "physical" aspects to great effect.
The current trend highlights the diversity of tactical challenges City and other top clubs are facing, forcing Guardiola to consider pairing Omar Marmoush and Erling Haaland more frequently to combat the physicality.
