Pep Guardiola has never hidden his admiration for the Brazilian national team. When speaking to the Brazilian media, he’s always said how much of a fan he is, especially of the 1982 squad.
Now the Catalan boss would probably be surprised to learn that the Brazilian team is actually getting inspiration from the way Manchester City have been playing this season.
Interviewed by newspaper O Globo, manager Tite opened up about the tactics he’s planning to use in the World Cup, and mentioned the Premier League side several times to explain his ideas.
When entering Tite’s room, the journalists saw a tactical board with two teams. One lineup using a five-man defensive line, which would be the manager’s obsession since he couldn’t score against England last year. The other team was inspired in Manchester City, which he sees as the perfect attacking system to beat that kind of defence.
“They (Manchester City) have mechanisms. Medium distance shots, sometimes they have two strikers: in a game against Newcastle, Kompany got injured, Guardiola put Jesus next to Aguero and made Fernandinho a defender.”
Asked why he would use two strikers, he also used Manchester City as the example: “To generate numerical superiority. These players here (points to the midfielders and attackers) open a line of passing and there they will make assists to goals. You create the option of a short one-two. In City vs Newcastle, De Bruyne makes an assist for Sterling to enter diagonally and score the goal. So it’s good to have Coutinho and more players like that, they look like they have special vision.”
“At City, Gundogan, who is not even so much of a clairvoyant when facing with lines of 5, plays there. De Bruyne and Silva go play there.”
Quizzed about aggressiveness, he mentions Pep Guardiola’s team again: “Look at City. If you think about Walker, who is the right-back, plus Bernardo Silva, who has played on the wing, and De Bruyne, they make a triangle and move, changing positions. The opponent puts their defenders to one side, then you quickly move the ball, or Fernandinho makes a pass to the opposite side. It’s basketball’s principle. Change the ball to one side to explore the other.”
Tite was also questioned if Fernandinho can play as an advanced midfielder, in front of Casemiro: “Yes. Fernandinho scored a goal after a through ball from De Bruyne. He can do both the function of first midfielder and that one of Renato Augusto. His form is of very high level.”
The interview was pretty long, and you can read the full text here. But here’s just one more quote, where O Globo asks City who the ‘rhytmist’ is, and another Manchester City player gets a mention: “It’s the guy who plays between the lines and, in the first option of pass, he doesn’t do it. The other guy makes another move, he threatens to do it and also doesn’t do it. He gives a timing to come up with the best option. David Silva is the clear example, the prototype, the passer. He can pass in the first, the second and even the third time.”
