Something seemed to click for Manchester City in Bournemouth, put them in action and crystallize the thinking of Pep Guardiola. It may have been at the end of March, but better than never.
There are theories about what exactly happened on the south coast, when City fluid from a goal – despite playing on average – to book a place in the semi -final of Sunday FA Cup. Guardiola said he saw the Spirit return. It was the day that Nico O'Reilly announced himself as a left -wing extraordinaire.
These aspects are enormously in the revival of the city – five victories from six games – but the tactical adjustments of Guardiola have also restored the accelerated check for which his city teams have always been known.
The wing players largely stopped. Only against Leicester City, two came together.
It is not used in every match, but City tried a Box – Middenveld – four central midfielders in two lines – to press and protect that part of the field against transitions, an area where teams have made a blow since October. The tweaks worked, met Aston Villa by a mesh that they could not endure on Tuesday evening when they try to blitz through the center of the city.
The entire backs, the hero of Saturday O'Reilly and Midweek Match winner Matheus Nunes went high and wide. The system does not work without those two performing, and some Guardiola employees had made confused expressions when the manager first suggested that O'Reilly could do a work in that position.
Jeremy Doku, explosively from a permanent start, has only been mentioned on the team magazine since mid -March, but his impact against Villa, and Everton last weekend, suggests that the Belgian has taken on the role of 'Finisher'.
He only played for 28 minutes in those two games, but offered a stunning assist against Villa – stormed past his marker and bumped the ball with the outside of the boot in a corridor of uncertainty – and opened the game at Goodison to make others flourish.
“I have been open with the entire back lately,” said Guardiola, who historically prefers such players to move the Infield instead of hugging the white lines. 'The moment Jeremy learns to play in, because he has the quality to do it, he will play inside.
'I have always played with the Wingers high and wide, one against one. But lately, because we play with full back for stability – more control and whatever -. '
At the moment these cameies docking fit. He has been criticized for a lack of end product, but offers a difference, a thrust that can ignite a crowd and his teammates.
While City is looking for more of this check, Doku's energy in the last quarter of the games is extremely important.
His last ball is constantly working. “He has improved a lot and will improve more,” Guardiola added. 'At the moment he makes the actions in one speed … The moment you make the decision, you must lower the speed.
“You have to be relaxed. You have to (look up). Otherwise you will only cross to cross, we will not score goal. But he is 22, he is so young. He has something unique in terms of his speed. '
With a trick and a lot of pace, the boy cannot be described as a particularly revolutionary, but Guardiola has not done badly with connecting the gaping defensive gaps that flood opponents.
To do this with two full backs that do not fully understand the role, it is smart coaching, but then we should not be surprised by that.
Nunes crossing for O'Reilly to score at Everton underlined the importance of their roles. O'Reilly then supplied three bad balls in the box that were not converted in midweek. There have been defensive problems, mostly from nunes, but Ruben Dias and Josko Gvardiol have been well taken.
Guardiola has changed the formations in the past, although almost always as variants of a 4-3-3. This has been somewhat different, city games with split strikers, James McATee and Omar Marmoush, in victories on Villa and Crystal Palace and their new box formation.
A 4-1-4-1 system in Everton differs from the idea, but Bernardo Silva operated nominal on the right, so that midfield was reduced.
This is probably all temporary. As Guardiola said, he wants natural wing players – reversed or otherwise – and there seemed to be a movement towards the old era of Sterling -Sane, where Doku and Savinho are preferred.
Principles do not change so dramatically on a permanent basis, and this feels like a measure to only push City over the line to qualify for the Champions League prior to a busy summer transfer window that should push them into a new era.