As Pep Guardiola sought to explain a record low, he provided an explanation that could be interpreted in different ways. Manchester City had just 32 percent of possession at the Emirates Stadium, the lowest share any of his teams had ever enjoyed (Guardiola, who said he suffered, endured the 68 percent of the match when Arsenal had the ball). “We are a transition team,” he argued.
Tactically, that feels truer than ever. They have fewer pure passers of the ilk of Ilkay Gundogan and David Silva. Their front three can feature fast, direct attackers like Erling Haaland and Jeremy Doku, not midfielders masquerading as wingers and false nines. Guardiola is flanked by Jurgen Klopp’s old assistant Pep Lijnders and Liverpool tended to be more of a transition team than City.
