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Manchester City: Has Pep Guardiola finally stumbled upon the right formation?

By Craig Pearson

May 30, 2015; New York, NY, USA; Manchester City midfielder David Silva before the start of New York City FC vs. Houston Dynamo soccer game at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports
May 30, 2015; New York, NY, USA; Manchester City midfielder David Silva before the start of New York City FC vs. Houston Dynamo soccer game at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports /
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Pep Guardiola is known for being tactically flexible, but has yet to find the most effective formation for his Manchester City team this season.

Manchester City have been hot and cold this season under Pep Guardiola. The Spaniard is still adapting and trying to find the best way forward in his new surroundings in the Premier League. In the process, City have played an abundance of formations and systems.

There’s a case that changing the system so often is actually confusing the City players rather than giving them a tactical edge. Guardiola has already used, among others, a 4-2-3-1, 3-4-3, 3-5-2 and a 4-3-3 at differing times of the season.

Is Guardiola adapting game by game or does he just have no idea what the best setup is? It looks much like the latter. But a 5-0 win over West Ham United last weekend might just have given the City boss the biggest hint yet of the future for this Manchester City squad.

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With Ilkay Gundogan out with a long-term injury and Fernandinho currently out suspended, Guardiola decided to play with a diamond formation. Yaya Toure sat deep as the midfield conductor, with his exquisite passing at the base of the diamond.

Pablo Zabaleta and Kevin De Bruyne played as the two wider midfielders. Whilst David Silva was deployed in his favored attacking midfielder role at the top of the diamond. The system worked a treat with the Hammers unable to get a handle on the game.

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City dominated possession just as Guardiola likes, but also had a cutting edge with Sergio Aguero joined by Raheem Sterling up front. Sterling is not a natural striker with his finishing often a point of criticism.

But Guardiola doesn’t mind playing players in strange positions that they initially seem to be a bad fit for. Sterling was dangerous all game and his constant runs in behind the West Ham defense was a threat all game.

Sterling didn’t get on the scoresheet, but he did provide an assist and his pressure was crucial in forcing Havard Nordtveit to score an own goal. The midfield overall looked balanced. Only De Bruyne on the left of the diamond was somewhat out of position, but the Belgian still performed well.

The City defense has been under much scrutiny lately, but even the back four was afforded an easier time of it with the control that City had of the game. West Ham barely troubled the away team all match.

Much of that was down to West Ham, too. The home team were atrocious. But as eye-catching as West Ham were for all the wrong reasons, Manchester City were just as eye-catching for all the right reasons.

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The diamond formation seemed to be born from the injuries and suspensions that City currently have in midfield. But given the performance in the FA Cup, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Guardiola now stuck with the formation against Everton and beyond.

Has the City boss just stumbled onto the answer for at least some of his problems?

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