Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has drawn parallels between the contemporary Premier League and the defensive, set-piece heavy tactics famously employed by Tony Pulis's old Stoke City side. Guardiola's observations come amidst a notable surge in goals originating from dead-ball situations this season, with nearly 19% of all league goals now stemming from corners – a figure almost 5% higher than any previous year on record. While he upholds managers' rights to diverse tactical approaches, Guardiola highlighted this growing trend as a significant aspect of the modern game.

Guardiola’s team recently experienced this vulnerability firsthand, conceding the decisive goal from a set piece in their 1-0 defeat to Aston Villa. Reflecting on the increasing prevalence of such tactics, the Spanish manager noted, "It's true that people use every throw-in like a corner and put 10 players there in the box." He cited Brentford's approach, particularly against Liverpool, where players like Michael Kayode consistently delivered dangerous balls into the box. Guardiola also recalled previous masters of this art, mentioning Sean Dyche's Burnley for their "incredible threat with long balls and second balls" and Sam Allardyce's teams. He emphasized that while Stoke City might have been an exception in the past with their famous long throws, "Now it’s just more and more teams doing that." He even recalled discussions from his time at Barcelona and Bayern Munich about the unique challenge of playing at Stoke, acknowledging that "Arsene Wenger talked about going to play at Stoke City, but now it happens a lot of times."

In a subtle critique, Guardiola also took aim at current Premier League leaders Arsenal, highlighting their reliance on set-piece goals this season. Despite the Gunners being the most in-form team, their frequent scoring from dead-ball situations has reportedly raised "concerns for rival fans." This season has also seen the average of 2.6 goals per game, the lowest since 2017, and the ball is in play for just over 55 minutes per match, statistics that further underscore the evolving nature of the league.

Despite acknowledging the threat, Guardiola, whose Manchester City side is notably the only team yet to score from a set piece this season, affirmed his unwavering commitment to open-play football. "Every manager does what they believe," he stated. "I want to score from free kicks and corners—I'm not naive to that. But I spend my time on what we have to do to play better, attack better, and create chances. To score goals." He stressed the importance of controlling games to limit opponents' opportunities from set pieces, concluding, "I will, until the end, continue to work mainly on our game. And sometimes adapt, when we have to do it." Manchester City will now turn their focus to the upcoming Carabao Cup game against Swansea, aiming to return to winning ways.