Along with the inclusion of Erling Haaland as Manchester City's first out-and-out No.9 in years, this season's success has hinged on a more subtle but no less influential tactical tweak further back.
John Stones' revival has elevated to the next level with his evolving auxiliary midfield role. The England international has often been deployed as a right-back on paper before drifting forward and joining Rodri in a double-pivot, with Nathan Ake - or in his absence, Manuel Akanji - coming in from left-back to form a 3-2 style formation.
It is testament to Stones how quickly he has adapted to the role, receiving the ball with his back to goal and under pressure instead of having it all ahead of him. Unfortunately, for Kyle Walker, it has not come as easily, and the 32-year-old's minutes had suffered as a consequence.
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“He cannot do it,” Guardiola said of Walker's struggles in that role at the start of April. “He will always have pace. He will be the fastest in this room at 60 years old. To play inside you have to make some educated movements, he has other characteristics.
“He has played as a full-back coming inside in the past with four in the back with Joao [Cancelo] or Aleks [Zinchenko] in that position and Kyle has done it really well, but with this shape of three in the back and two in the middle he cannot do it…
“He can play coming inside and he has done it many times but like in the position (against) Liverpool with Rodri and John, he will maybe need time to do it and we don’t have time.”
Since that public criticism, however, Walker has arguably been one of City's most dependable players. Guardiola has so often relied on the right-back's recovery pace against top-class opposition and that looks to be his calling at the Etihad for the foreseeable future. Luckily for both himself and City, there aren't many better.
In the month since Guardiola's comments, Walker has started against Arsenal and Real Madrid, tasked with managing the likes of Gabriel Martinelli and Vinicius Jr. The England international's role has been defined in this City side: suppress pace.
And while not against as high-profile an opponent, the right-back's recovery pace against Everton on Sunday was crucial. Sean Dyche's side showed with a 5-1 win at Brighton how quickly they can counter and Guardiola described them post-match as 'the best team by far in transitions in the league.'
Walker's inability to drift into midfield will undoubtedly hinder his minutes at City, but it will by no means reduce his significance over the course of a season. Progression into the latter stages of the Champions League and domestic cups makes facing the world's best wingers inevitable, and it is in those scenarios that the 32-year-old is Guardiola's man.
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