In 2013/14, under the new management of Manuel Pellegrini, Manchester City romped to a Premier League and League Cup double while playing an exciting brand of attacking football.
Much like Roberto Mancini's City side, different variations of the 4-4-2 produced goals from all over the pitch. Sergio Agüero always led the way, but the likes of Edin Dzeko, Alvaro Negredo, David Silva and Samir Nasri all chipped in with their own contributions.
Players were interchanging, combining with each other and causing havoc for the oppositions backline with explosive movement and unpredictable attacking sequences. But what allowed all that to happen was the base of Fernandinho and Yaya Toure in central midfield.
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Natural double-pivots have been few and far between, though, since Pep Guardiola took over. Mainly owing to the genius of Fernandinho and Rodri, the Catalan has been able to play two number eights in advanced positions without much fear of a lightning fast counter-attack from the opposition.
But Toure and Fernandinho complemented each other well during the 2013/14 campaign and it unlocked a version of the Ivorian that will never be topped. Some 29 goal contributions from a player many considered a 'defensive midfielder' was just ludicrous and is a testament to Toure's undeniable quality — but it all began with that solid structure.
Without Fernandinho, there would have been no Toure magic that season. And looking ahead to the new campaign, it is a formation that Guardiola can reprise with a particular new signing — Kalvin Phillips.
The Yorkshire-born midfielder made his long-awaited switch to the Etihad Stadium earlier this month and got his first taste of action off the bench against Club América in the early hours of Thursday morning. He arrives in Manchester with plenty of room to develop and the hope is that the Catalan can nurture him into a world-class operator.
With so many options in midfield, there has been mass discussion about where Phillips will fit in, but the answer might be staring us in the face from 2013. A lot of people assume he will be battling with Rodri for the starting spot, but what if the answer is to play them together?
For England, Phillips is the link-man between Declan Rice and the Three Lions' attacking midfielders, picking the ball up from deep and driving his side forward — similar to what Bernardo Silva's is asked to do in City's middle three. All of this makes it likely that he will be deployed in the same role for the Blues.
However, in tighter games against high-quality teams like Liverpool, Guardiola likes to keep his team compact and avoid unnecessary counter-attacks. Lining-up with Phillips next to Rodri could be an option for the manager and one he opts to utilise going forward.
It may take time for the 26-year-old to adapt to Guardiola's methods, but he certainly has all the attributes to complement an already star-studded midfield very nicely.
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