More teams will adopt!! Guardiola predicts Pulis-style era in PL

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola believes more teams will adapt Stoke City Tony Pulis’ old tactics in the Premier League noting that clubs has fallen in love again with Pulis-style football.

Set-pieces and long throws have decide games this season more than skill or possession. Almost 19 per cent of all goals in the Premier League this season have come from corners.

Arsenal have benefited from this tactics more than any other team with Arteta not shying away from speaking about its importance.

Mikel Arteta has time and again stressed the importance of set-pieces, and Arsenal’s playbook revolves around what Pulis once made famous at Stoke.

Rory Delap of Stoke City was known for his long throw during Tony Pulis time as the club manager. (Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)

Despite small teams like Brentford and Sunderland adopting the style, Guardiola insists he respects every manager’s right to shape their team in their own image but made it clear City will not abandon their identity.

Speaking ahead of City’s Carabao Cup fourth-round clash with Swansea City, Guardiola admitted that the league’s obsession with set pieces has reached new heights.

“I remember a long time ago with Sean Dyche, Burnley were an incredible threat in the long balls, second balls,” he said. “Dyche is one of the best by far doing these kind of aspects. It’s not new, he did it before. Or Sam Allardyce. Or I remember when I was not here, Stoke City. Do you remember Stoke City when they made the throws? It happened in that time. Now it’s just more and more teams doing that but then maybe Stoke was the exception. I remember when I was at Barcelona and Bayern Munich, Arsene Wenger talked about going to play at Stoke City but now it happens a lot of times.”

Michael Kayode of Brentford takes a long throw into the Liverpool penalty area during the Premier League match between Brentford and Liverpool. (Photo by Mark Leech/Offside/Offside via Getty Images)

Guardiola admitted his side must improve in managing these moments, but he is refusing to compromise his footballing principles.

“Every manager does what they believe. I’m focused on that,” he insisted. “I want to score from free-kicks and corners – I’m not naive, I want it – but I spend my time on what we have to do to play better, attack better and create chances, to score goals. Defensively, you have to be more aggressive. All the aspects of the game I see. Of course, I pay attention, but I know I’m not the manager to try to… It’s what I’ve done all my career.”

Guardiola’s City remain the only team to have scored all their goals from open play this season and it’s left to see if Guardiola won’t be forced to adopt the latest trend.

Swansea will likely adopt a similar style when they welcome their illustrious Premier League opponents on Wednesday evening in the Carabao Cup.