Thierry Henry has moved to explain a common misconception about Manchester City’s football.
Manchester City are currently the best team in England, Europe and the entire world after a remarkable year.
Pep Guardiola’s side clinched the treble last season and have a strong chance of doing so again this time around, which would be unprecedented.
The Blues kept the pressure on Premier League leaders Liverpool with a 3-1 win over neighbours Manchester United on Sunday, thanks to a stunning Phil Foden brace and a late Erling Haaland strike.
City have the chance to overtake Jurgen Klopp’s outfit when the two teams meet in a blockbuster clash on Sunday.
When analysing City’s fantastic football on Monday Night Football, Arsenal legend Thierry Henry moved to point out something everyone gets wrong.
Thierry Henry explains what people get wrong about Man City
The Frenchman said: “People always say that City play in a 4-3-3.
“Well, they don’t. They defend in a 4-4-2 at times and when they are on the ball they are never in a 4-3-3. It’s a 3-7!
“At times it’s a 3-2-5 but it doesn’t look like a 4-3-3. Your shape changes when you are on the ball.
“What you need to look at is the balance.”
It’s what makes City so hard to beat
You can trace the heritage of Total Football from Rinus Michels, to Johan Cruyff and now to Guardiola.
The Blues boss continues to revolutionise and update but the simple aspect that makes his teams so remarkable is that when they have the ball they make the pitch big, and without it, they make it small.
To do that successfully, you need players who are comfortable anywhere on the pitch and Guardiola has made a squad of them.
Just look at how John Stones has gone from a centre-back to a great midfielder, how Foden can play anywhere in attack, and how Bernardo Silva has literally played everywhere – even left-back.
Only three players in City’s squad haven’t played in more than one position at least once and they are striker Haaland, centre-back Ruben Dias and goalkeeper Ederson.
But even the Brazilian would play in midfield if he was allowed to.
Guardiola has trained his players to always maintain ‘balance’ in the side to assert control, and it can take the form of strange formations.
It’s only when City are knocked off that balance by a quick counter are they ever in real trouble.
