Is your soccer team running too much? It’s a funny thing for a coach to say about his team but that’s more or less what Guardiola said about his. I get what he’s saying though, it’s like his team is trying too hard, forcing things and not trusting their own style of play and tactics. If they keep the soccer ball moving and stay with their possession and passing game the chances will open up if they are patient.
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola says his team is playing better because they are running less and walking more:
“The only difference is that we run less,” Guardiola told a news conference on Tuesday.
“We were running too much. When you play football you have to walk — or run much much less.
“Without the ball you have to run. But with the ball you stay more in the position and let the ball run, not you. And we improved in these games, in these terms.”
This makes me think of Lionel Messi, and how he walks on the soccer pitch sometimes to wait for the opportunity to make a dangerous run. Walking is an underrated skill in soccer! If the best soccer player in the world walks and the best manager / coach in the game says walk more during the game then seems wise to listen to what they’re saying.
Here’s more on Guardiola’s football tactics and Manchester City’s style of play.
Pep Guardiola sat down with Roger Bennett in 2016 to talk about the Man City manager’s tactical philosophy and path to the Premier League.
