How Guardiola transformed the Premier League tactically

How Guardiola transformed the Premier League tacticallyImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Enzo Maresca is set to replace Pep Guardiola as Manchester City manager at the end of the seasonByUmir IrfanFootball tactics correspondentPublished7 minutes ago1 CommentsIf you were to ask Premier League managers who their biggest influences in football have been, the majority are likely to mention Pep Guardiola.When Guardiola departs Manchester City, he will leave behind him an impressive legacy that extends beyond the team he has managed for a decade.His tactics have made waves from the Premier League through non-league football and into the grassroots game.Yet not all of them were planned long in advance. Yes, Guardiola creates systems and tactics based on how he views football, but they are also determined by the players he has at his disposal.Here we take a closer look at how Guardiola transformed the Premier League.Shot-stoppers to ball-playing keepers and backWhen Guardiola took the City job, one of his first decisions was to oust fan favourite Joe Hart and instead play Claudio Bravo, then Ederson.Guardiola wanted a ball-playing goalkeeper - not common practice in the Premier League - and was criticised for it.Ten years on, it would be more controversial to suggest a top-flight team doesn't need a No 1 who is comfortable with the ball at their feet. By the early 2020s, most Premier League teams had replaced traditional shot-stoppers with impressive passers - with varying degrees of success. At Manchester United, David de Gea was succeeded by Andre Onana. Aaron Ramsdale was replaced by David Raya at Arsenal, and Chelsea went from Edouard Mendy to Kepa Arrizabalaga to Robert Sanchez. The list goes on.Yet Guardiola has been at City so long, we have started to see a reversal of the trend.With the rise in man-to-man high pressing from goal-kicks, the risk associated with building out from the back is higher than before. Space for attacking sides is further up the p...