In an exclusive interview with ESPN Brazil, Manchester City manager Josep Guardiola opened up and shared the deeper reasons for the frequent changes in tactical systems during his coaching career. Facing the camera, Guardiola said bluntly, "Boredom is an important motivation that pushes me to keep exploring new tactical concepts. In as long as eight years, if I keep repeating the same tactics, it will become extremely boring. This quest for freshness is the primary reason why I keep trying new tactical systems."
He further explained, "Secondly, the nature of the game of soccer is a never-ending game. When we use a certain tactic and succeed, our opponents will quickly study it and devise a strategy to deal with it. If we are too conservative, they will play tight defense; if we try to open up the field, they will expand their defense accordingly. This dynamic adjustment to each other requires us to constantly innovate in order to respond to our opponents' changes."
In addition, Guardiola emphasized the importance of the player factor in tactical choices, "Any tactical adjustments we make must be based on the traits and abilities of the players. What kind of technical characteristics each of them possesses, and in what style of play they can play at their best, these are the key factors we must consider when formulating tactics."
Speaking about the length of his tenure at Manchester City, Guardiola exuded a sense of surprise: "Even in my wildest imagination, I never expected that I would stay at Manchester City for so long. The continuation of all this is largely due to the team's continued victories. If we had underachieved then my future would undoubtedly have been very different and I may even have left a long time ago." These words not only reveals his love and dedication to the cause of soccer, but also let people can not help but Guadiola and Manchester City's future relationship has more reverie.
