After joining Man City for more than a year, Su Dong had personally experienced the greatest difference between Guardiola's possession-based system and Rijkaard's tactics back then.
Steady!
It was simply too steady!
Steady as Mount Tai!
The media and fans outside only saw the team's possession-based system, but inside the team, every player saw carefully designed patterns and routines for localized combinations. Through repeated practice in daily training, every player became thoroughly familiar with them and knew them inside out, allowing them to adapt and execute them according to the situation on the pitch.
The former was like a person, while the latter was like the network of capillaries inside that person's body.
Together, they formed Man City's complete tactical system.
Guardiola's tactics placed demanding requirements on the players. They needed solid passing and ball-control skills, excellent tactical discipline, outstanding fitness, and enough patience at all times.
Last season, Man City had still looked rather unstable. But this season, with greater squad depth and an improved lineup, everyone discovered that Man City basically no longer made mistakes.
Of course, that was hardly surprising.
Just look at Man City's possession rate this season. Even at its lowest, it was still sixty-five percent. That was simply absurd.
Their opponents could not even get possession, especially weaker teams. If they could not win the ball, how could they force Man City into making mistakes?
If not for defensive liabilities like Joe Hart and David Luiz, Man City would probably have conceded far fewer goals.
Apart from that, another aspect of Guardiola's work deserved great praise: his cultivation and transformation of young players.
Javi Martinez had played only one match as the central defender in a back three, yet he had won universal acclaim. Douglas Costa had also performed very well on Man City's