Manchester City's players had a rather contradictory impression of Guardiola. He was something of a combination of an angel and a devil.
They called him a devil because he was extremely demanding when it came to tactical execution. One could say that, apart from Su Dong, whom he trusted most, every other player on the team had to move and pass strictly according to his instructions.
How to run, where to run, how to pass, where to pass...
Guardiola prepared almost everything for his players down to the smallest detail. As a player, all you had to do was execute his instructions strictly and bring out your own strengths.
This had both advantages and disadvantages.
The advantages were obvious: the team's overall performance was extremely stable, and it hardly mattered even when the lineup changed.
This was especially true for young players like Sterling, Trippier, and Tiago. They could all perform well within this system.
Many people said that Guardiola was good at developing young players. That was because his rigorous and meticulous tactics made it clear to young players what they needed to do and how to do it once they stepped onto the pitch. They could then display their own strengths within the overall tactical framework, and their performances naturally improved.
But the disadvantages were also quite obvious. Once players became familiar with this style of play, they inevitably felt somewhat mechanical, lacking imagination and initiative. They could even easily develop a sense of complacency.
Of course, for now, Manchester City was still enjoying the advantages, while the disadvantages had yet to appear often.
As for Guardiola's angelic side, his management was actually quite humane. Much of the time, he placed greater emphasis on the players' self-discipline. For example, on the night before a match, Guardiola disliked having