Pep Guardiola has claimed that the likes of Leeds, Arsenal, Brighton and Aston Villa are the only teams who don’t sit back on Manchester City, outside of Liverpool, as posted by Manchester Evening News.
The Manchester City boss claimed that Arsenal in ‘some moments’ attack them, including Leeds, who recently sacked Marcelo Bielsa as manager.
It isn’t a surprise that Guardiola has name-dropped Leeds because they were gung-ho under Bielsa and it remains to be seen if that will be the case when the new manager arrives.
Whilst Mikel Arteta was on the coaching team at the Etihad, prior to his switch over to Arsenal.
Nonetheless, this is what Guardiola had to say about teams attacking and sitting back on his side.
“Yeah. Maybe we provoke them,” said Guardiola. “But most of them except Liverpool I would say, Brighton I would say, Arsenal in some moments I would say.
“Let me think about it, maybe I’m forgetting someone. Aston Villa, we played there a little bit too. There are moments when they did it. But as a principle, when we make a good build-up, they sit.
“Leeds, as well. The rest, they sit back. But, honestly, I’m not saying nothing wrong. Every manager, every team can do whatever they want, absolutely.
“It’s in our hands how to break them — teams that are high pressing, how to do it, and when teams sit back, how we have to do it.”
Well, both Leeds and Arsenal have been thrashed by Man City this season – 5-0 loss for the Gunners, whilst the Yorkshire outfit conceded seven last time out.
Arteta’s side did, in a way, make up for that following their narrow, yet controversial loss at the Emirates.
For both Leeds and Arsenal, it’s all good talking about their styles of play but, at the end of the day, it’s all about their end goal.
Leeds are now looking for a new manager, after parting ways with Bielsa, and they want to desperately survive in England’s top-flight, whilst Arsenal are craving a return to Champion League football.
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