Pep Guardiola says he fully understands the growing importance of set pieces in the Premier League — but insists his Manchester City side will continue to focus mainly on creating chances from open play.
SET-PIECES SHAPING THE PREMIER LEAGUE LANDSCAPE
This season has seen a surge in goals from dead-ball situations, with Arsenal among the teams thriving from corners and long throws.
Statistics show that 19% of all Premier League goals this season have come from corners — the highest percentage ever recorded in a single campaign. Meanwhile, clubs are averaging 4.0 long throws into the box per match, more than double the rate from any season since records began in 2014-15.
Players like Brentford’s Michael Kayode have stood out with their pinpoint long throws, one of which helped the Bees take the lead in their dramatic 3–2 victory over Liverpool last weekend.
GUARDIOLA CREDITS EARLY ADOPTERS OF THE TACTIC
While set-piece innovation has become more prominent this year, Guardiola was quick to highlight the managers who mastered it long before the current trend.
“Sean Dyche is one of the best by far at these kinds of things. It’s not new — he did it before,” Guardiola said.
“Or Sam Allardyce. And I remember when I was not here, Stoke City — do you remember their long throws? It was happening back then. Maybe now more teams do it, but Stoke were already doing that.”
The City boss added that the tactic, once viewed as a hallmark of certain teams, has now become mainstream across the league.
“When I was at Barcelona or Bayern, Arsène Wenger used to talk about going to play at Stoke — now you see that style much more often.”
“I’M NOT NAIVE – BUT I STAY TRUE TO MY STYLE”
Despite acknowledging the effectiveness of set pieces, Guardiola made it clear that his philosophy remains centred on fluid, open attacking football.
“Every manager does what they believe,” he said. “Of course, I want to score from free kicks and corners — I’m not naive. But I spend my time working on how we play, how we attack, how we create chances to score.”
He also emphasised the importance of defensive discipline in dealing with such situations:
“Defensively, you have to be aggressive. I see all aspects of the game, but I know who I am and what I’ve done all my career.”
CITY STICKING TO THEIR IDENTITY
Guardiola’s comments underline his commitment to maintaining City’s trademark possession and movement-based style — even as rivals turn to aerial power and set-piece mastery for an edge.
With the Premier League evolving tactically, Guardiola appears content to watch the trend grow from a distance — confident that his team’s brand of football remains the benchmark for success.