Pep Guardiola says he has no plans to change the way his team plays after pointing to a remarkable 18 trophy haul in his glorious near decade at City.
[ALL SMILES: The players show their delight.
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Guardiola has overseen six Premier League titles, two FA Cups, four League Cups, three Community Shields as well as success in the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup as he approaches 10 years with the Blues.
And the foundations of that success have been tactical excellence, relentless innovation and, above all else, a fervent devotion to looking after the ball on the pitch.
Questioned on whether he might change his approach this season, the manager was unequivocal in his reply.
“After winning 18 titles, I will change my plan yeah,” he smiled.
“Pretty sure, after winning four in a row, I am going to change the way I believe the football my teams are going to play.
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“I’ll never ever change my beliefs of the way we are going to play.
“But if we are up the pitch, I want to attack quick and when the opponents are high pressing man to man and break the first press, I want to attack quick.
“But after that, I love to pass the ball a thousand million boring passes. I love it. I love my teams to have the ball and play and play. I love it.
“But there are moments where you have to attack quick but we have done that since day one when we regain the ball and Raheem and Leroy run like machines, we attack so quick.
“Because the way we are going to attack, I am going to tell you a secret, tell me the way the opponent is going to defend me and after that I am going to decide how we are going to attack.
“When a team defend like Al Hilal, 11 players in the 18 yard box, we have one concern – allow the transitions and we didn’t do it and that’s why we lose.
“But with a team that press high, high, high like Tottenham, you won’t be allowed for the transitions because they play high pressing.
“So it depends on what they do, you have to react. We have done that in 10 years with 18 titles.
“We won a lot. You know that. Why change?
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“I change the players. When I have Bernardo Silva as a winger or Leroy Sane as a winger, it’s different. Bernardo needs the ball at his feet, with Leroy it’s give me the ball in behind, with that he’s incredible.
“Of course, I adapt to the qualities but the principles?
“Maybe this season, I decide instead of 500 times pass the ball, I decide to pass 1,000 times this year. This is my target.”
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