Why is it more difficult for defensive midfielders to integrate into the team under Guardiola s system?

The midfielder position has always been Guardiola's "disease". Since he became Manchester City's head coach in 2016, he has put a lot of effort into this position.

He has trained Rodri, transformed Stones, and even bought people when he was in need. Phillips, Kovacic, Nico Gonzalez and others were all recruited by him, trying to cultivate more world-class midfielders at this position.

It is not rigorous to say that Manchester City does not strengthen the midfielder. They have also put in a lot of effort.

However, after so many years, I found that not many players played well, and there were players like Phillips who were unable to integrate into the team, resulting in Manchester City's frequent lack of players in the midfielder position.

After Rodri was seriously injured and retired last season, Manchester City's backbone was suddenly "snapped" away, and their results plummeted. Rodri was sidelined due to injury midway through this season, and it took him a while to regain his strength.

Some fans joked that Guardiola is Manchester City's "devil". Once he comes to the team's midfielder, he becomes incompetent. He seems to be under a curse, causing the player's ability to decline.

Of course, this is also a joke, fans can just listen and enjoy it.

There is a question worth discussing, which is "Why is it more difficult to play the defensive midfielder position under Guardiola's system?" It is not easy to develop good players.

I think this phenomenon is indeed worth exploring.

I usually like to watch Manchester City games. From the experience of the game, I think Guardiola's system has relatively high requirements for the defensive midfielder position. It is very different from other coaches, which will make it difficult for players in this position to adapt.

Especially in the past few seasons, this year is better. The tactical style has changed and is not so harsh on the midfielder. The original tactical play will be a huge test for the midfielder.

First of all, the team's offensive starting point comes from the central defender and midfielder, and the team's rhythm will be relatively short-passed and penetrated. For example, after getting the ball in the backcourt, it will be passed from the goalkeeper to the central defender, and then passed by the central defender to the midfielder.

After the midfielder gets the ball, he needs to observe the position of his surrounding teammates, make timely transmissions, and have the responsibility of "distributing the ball" and transferring.

In other words, it will have a "metronome" function. It needs to be said to control the situation in the midfield and stabilize the team's rhythm.

After stabilizing the rhythm, hand it over to De Bruyne and others in the frontcourt, who will handle the team's second pass, pass, cut and penetrate in the frontcourt. If the midfielder cannot break through, the sides will be divided. The full-backs move forward or the wingers cut inside to open up the team's breakthrough.

Watching Manchester City games, you will find that they have a volleyball rhythm of "first pass, second pass". How to attack and how to attack are all very orderly, and there will never be a state of panic.

When defending, the midfielder also needs to undertake a lot of interception and tackle work. He must be able to hold his position and not lose his position, and he must also have strong confrontation capabilities.

Considering that the frontcourt teammates are all skilled players and their defensive abilities are not that good, the midfielder also needs to help the team in terms of defensive hardness.

After a general analysis, you will find that what Manchester City needs in key positions such as midfielder or central midfielder is actually a player who is an "organizational talent and a defensive champion".

On the basis of defense, only such players can adapt to Manchester City's system with some passing support and organizational skills.

But to be honest, such players are too difficult to find. Not only are they difficult to find, they are also difficult to cultivate. I don’t know if you still remember that when Rodri was at Manchester City in his early days, he went through a period of downturn.

During that period, Rodri's defensive positioning, ball delivery and passing accuracy were not said to meet Guardiola's requirements, and he repeatedly put the team in danger.

After moving from Atletico Madrid's defensive style of play to Manchester City, it was a bit difficult for Rodri to change his style, and it took him a long time to adapt to the new system.

During the time when Manchester City was struggling, I thought about Guardiola's employment style. I was thinking about how he used Rodri and wanted to transform him into the team's all-around midfielder, who can organize the ball and defend. Would it be too difficult for him?

Rodri's original task at Atletico Madrid was not that heavy, but he suddenly has to take on a lot of work at Manchester City. Will this outstanding midfielder be overwhelmed?

After several years of training, it turns out that Guardiola's idea of ​​​​training players is still in the right direction. From the perspective of team role and injuries, allowing a midfielder to have a versatile playing style will help extend his career.

Take Rodri now as an example. After suffering a serious injury, he will definitely not be able to cover the whole court as before when he returns to the team. Can Rodri transform in the future and become a "deep-lying playmaker" after recovering from his injury? This can also become a new experiment.

With some suitable players around, Manchester City's midfield will be able to undergo some changes and "reshape" its original style.

From a long-term development perspective, this will also help the team complete the establishment of a new system.

Perhaps when reforming Rodri and cultivating him, Guardiola took the future situation into consideration and established a clear idea for the team.

There will be risks, and maybe the players who spent a lot of money to buy them may not be able to play, but Manchester City has the money and the strength to "tear down and rebuild". Unsuitable players leave, suitable players come back, and they can become new leaders after adapting.

Currently Reinders, Nico Gonzalez and others are all Guardiola's experimenters, trying to see if they can develop a new midfielder and central midfielder core..

Interestingly, Guardiola has undergone a big change this year. Some fans say that he has become Mourinho. After many years, he has lived like someone else. He does not pursue possession of the ball. He has many more counterattacks and direct and simple routines, and his style of play is more concise.

In the just-concluded Premier League match, Manchester City defeated Bournemouth 3:1. Haaland scored two goals, both of which were a bit of a defensive counterattack. Three passes and two passes, Haaland received the pass from his teammate, rushed forward, and then faced the opponent's goalkeeper and easily scored with one shot.

The stubborn Guardiola, after experiencing the downturn last season, has also begun to "think about changes when he is poor" and has become pragmatic, and has some of Ancelotti's old ways of watching others eat.

When a player's ability temporarily does not match his passing and control concept, he simply plays simple football and ends the game with high efficiency.

Such a change in thinking is not easy.

Not only have we seen the abilities of Haaland and others, we have also witnessed the process of how a head coach emerges from failure and becomes wiser.

I believe that under Guardiola's new philosophy, Manchester City's midfielder can stand out, and Nico Gonzalez and others can slowly grow up and eventually become an indispensable core of the team.