Man City: When Pep Guardiola increasingly resembles… Mourinho

07/10/2025 07:48:00 ScoreStream

If Pep Guardiola was once regarded as the icon of beautiful, committed football and an absolute control philosophy, Man City today wears a completely different face.

The recent tough 1-0 victory over Brentford is the clearest proof of a pragmatic Man City, ready to sacrifice aesthetics for effectiveness.

Pep increasingly resembles… Mourinho

Far from the usual glamorous image of Man City, the Brentford match displayed very "Mourinho-like" moments: players getting booked for time-wasting, celebrating after earning free kicks, and Guardiola himself fiercely disputing the opponent’s throw-in spot. This is not the Man City fans knew, nor the ideal model Guardiola sought. Yet, in a difficult period, this style proves effective, though it no longer carries the "beautiful football" mark as per CEO Ferran Soriano’s philosophy.

This change appears to be a deliberate move by Guardiola after a disappointing early season run. Since then, Man City has learned to play tougher, inspired by the resilience of teams like Rory Delap’s Stoke City—a comparison Haaland jokingly made to Brentford’s long throws aimed at goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma. Instead of focusing on flair, Man City is now willing to play pragmatically, accepting "ugliness" to get results.

Although Guardiola isn’t fully pleased with this style, he has reasons to be hopeful. Notably, Man City has led for 60.2% of Premier League minutes this season, far ahead of second-placed Bournemouth at 41.5%. This is impressive, especially after last season’s doubts about the team’s resilience. The Brentford game reinforced a recent pattern: Man City excels in the first half, misses chances, and endures heavy pressure late. But this time, they held strong to keep a clean sheet.

After the match, Guardiola expressed happiness at reaching 250 Premier League wins in record time. "Three weeks ago, people said Liverpool had won the league already. Apparently not," he said with some irony. "I thank the club for this milestone. Now let’s aim for the next 250 wins."

Still, Man City’s current playing style clearly shows a shift in Guardiola’s philosophy. From a coach always chasing perfection, he is learning to adapt and accept pragmatism to keep the team in the title fight. This recalls Mourinho, once criticized as outdated but always successful with a "results first" approach.

Man City’s pragmatic play heavily relies on Haaland

""The team of Erling Haaland

The powerful burst and clinical finish from the Norwegian striker once again rescued the Citizens and exposed their biggest issue: overdependence on him. After seven games, Haaland has scored nine goals and provided one assist, accounting for 67% of Man City’s Premier League goals this season. No big club wants to be labeled a "one-man team," but Guardiola’s Man City is gradually becoming "Erling Haaland’s team."

While Haaland continues his incredible form, the rest of the attack lacks creativity. Jeremy Doku has just one goal and three assists in eight matches; Savinho has one goal in six; Bernardo Silva has contributed only one assist. Phil Foden, with two goals and two assists, is the only player partly sharing the load with Haaland. But clearly, it’s not enough.

Haaland does more than score. He presses, contests aerial duels, and even drops back to defend when needed. The image of the tall Norwegian striker carrying the ball back into his own half and urging teammates on reflects a warrior spirit and hunger for victory. Yet this is Man City’s paradox: a team once proud of collective cohesion and pressing now dependent on individual effort.

Previously, Pep called Tottenham "Harry Kane’s team." Now, ironically, Man City is viewed similarly: they are "Erling Haaland’s team." Without Haaland’s nine goals, Man City might be in the bottom half of the table. This truth shows that although Guardiola pursues team football, his system currently revolves around a single striker.

Of course, Haaland remains a nightmare for every Premier League defense. He has scored 18 goals in 11 games for club and country this season, a level any striker would envy. But his heavy burden hides other Man City weaknesses. If Haaland’s form dips or he gets injured, what will happen to Man City? This question is not hypothetical but a real warning.

Vu Manh

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