In an exclusive interview with Sky Sports, Pep Guardiola explains why he inverts his full-backs at Manchester City and the qualities in Rico Lewis that convinced him to place his trust in a teenager from the academy to take on such a complex role
Wednesday 15 February 2023 19:25, UK
At Tottenham, it was Rico Lewis. Against Aston Villa, Bernardo Silva took on the role. The pre-match graphics had them at left-back but on the pitch they spent much of the game alongside Rodri in midfield. Why is it that Pep Guardiola does this?
The Manchester City coach knows that his tactics will be praised, pored over and mimicked when successful. He also knows that when Lewis has the ball nicked off him for the only goal in a 1-0 defeat then he will be accused of 'overthinking' it once more.
But whether the decision to deploy players in that hybrid role, shuffling between left-back and the centre of midfield, is deemed the right one or not, Guardiola is clearly doing it for a reason. In conversation with him at the club's training ground, he offers three.
"Firstly, because of the quality of the players. Secondly, because I like to play with wingers high and wide. Thirdly, because I am a big fan of the short passes so if you have more players from behind that you can bring into the middle I think you play better.
"These are the reasons why," he tells Sky Sports.
The brilliant Bernardo was City's player of the year in 2019, stepping into the position vacated by the injured Kevin De Bruyne. His rare adaptability means that he may now find himself asked to assume Joao Cancelo's responsibilities instead.
It is made possible because he is smart enough to know when to 'cheat', allowing Guardiola to borrow a player from that back line to provide the extra man in midfield. He can leave the wingers wide, keep Erling Haaland high, knowing Bernardo is there to knit the play.
At Spurs, it was Lewis who moved inside, that so-called inverted full-back in their 3-2-5 formation when in possession. Guardiola's assessment was that his simple passing would bring control with the ball and his recovery pace would maintain that control without it.
On that occasion, in a vitally important game in the Premier League title race, events did not play out that way. But do not expect the coach to stop believing that this is a young player with all the traits - mental, physical, tactical and technical - to perform the role.
Lewis has been dubbed 'the Lancashire Lahm' because it was the Bayern captain Philipp Lahm who was asked to play this way by Guardiola almost a decade ago now. The technically sound full-back moved inside to build the play for his team.
Though Guardiola points to the quality of the players being a key element in persuading him to attempt this tactical ploy, it seems reasonable to assume that Dani Alves would have been capable at Barcelona. It took time for Guardiola to arrive at his answer.
"I learned. Because the opponents caused us problems and you have to find the solutions." Teams began to recognise that the holding midfielder in Guardiola's team needed to receive close attention. Adding a second body in there could open up the game.
But Guardiola was reluctant to lose a player further forwards. Instead it made more sense for a defender to step in. Often, teams look to do this with a centre-back. Manchester City still try it. Rodri started there alongside John Stones at Chelsea last month.
The problem is that a gap in the middle of the defence can be even riskier than one out wide. At half-time in that game at Stamford Bridge, Guardiola introduced Lewis and tasked him with taking on this role from right-back instead. That day, it worked.
"Every team plays in a different way," says Guardiola.
"So I have to adapt. For example, Arsenal make it man-to-man so the way you attack and defend is completely different than against a team that defends their 18-yard box with 11 players. Adapting to that is one of the keys to understanding how we need to play."
Having players who can adapt to situations is critical and the role of full-back turned midfielder is more complicated than most. For example, whether Bernardo or Lewis, they must anticipate the turnovers in possession and when to form a four-man defence.
"It all depends on the intelligence of the players," Guardiola explains.
And there are different types of intelligence too.
"Everyone is completely different. There are players with incredible skills to do something. There are players who are intelligent when the ball is at their feet and who can make incredible decisions. And there are players who are intelligent to read what is happening.
"To read exactly what is happening, to see not only what is happening with my body but to read in every moment exactly what is going on [everywhere else on the pitch], those are the really intelligent players. The more of them you have, the easier your life is."
What nobody, not even Guardiola, could have predicted before the start of the season, is that he would come to view the teenage Lewis as one of that rare breed. He was a promising prospect in a first-class academy but there seemed a long way to go.
Lewis was given minutes in the pre-season friendlies but then so were Liam Delap, James McAtee, Josh Wilson-Ebrand and the Brazilian Kayky. His first four competitive appearances of the season came as a substitute - and only once City were at least four goals up.
But a Champions League goal on full debut against Sevilla followed by strong displays in the Carabao Cup earned the manager's trust and following the World Cup he found himself ahead of the acclaimed Cancelo, much to the chagrin of the Portuguese.
"Who knew? Not me. I did not expect in this part of the season for Rico in three, four or five games - important games - to be playing all the time. No. He was in the second team and arrived on the summer tour because you have to put in another player and he came.
"He convinced me."
Much of the focus has been on off-field explanations for the change of hierarchy in the full-back positions. It is clear that Guardiola has been impressed with the superior body language and obvious appetite of the youngster. He came to believe he must refresh it.
But Lewis' tactical acumen has been a factor too.
"With Rico I do not have to say many things but he reads it. He reads when to jump and when to wait, how he jumps when he looks at the central defender, always closing the gap to the central defender. He is a guy who always plays good in small spaces.
"I did not teach him that. It comes from him." Partly, it is innate. But it is also that he is a quick learner. "Of course, you also have to correct, you have to improve, he is 18 years old, but there are players with whom you need to spend more time," adds Guardiola.
"They might be good in one department but you end up thinking, 'Maybe I was wrong asking him to do that.' After a while, you realise that he cannot do it. It is a process. Players arrive, we achieve something, you drop them. It is a continuous process."
It is fascinating to think that this process could include more players like the Bury-born Lewis, who was an eight-year-old boy in City's academy when Guardiola first began to work with Lahm in Munich and only 11 when the Catalan coach first arrived in Manchester.
The position that he is being expected to play is undoubtedly demanding and remains alien to much of the audience. But in another sense, he was prepared for it. "The academy play with the same style that we play in the first team," says Guardiola.
"The manager of the U8 team or the U12 team or U23 team has to do whatever they feel. They have their own details. But the concept, the recruitment, the players we are looking for, it is always with the same idea to adapt to the positions that we want to play.
"When Rico came here, he came with a lot of things learned from the academy. Of course, we had to introduce some things. Rodolfo [Borrell], Enzo [Maresca], Carlos [Vicens], all of the people here - we try to help him. That is the reason why we are here.
"But the fact that he has already played games from eight years old is the best investment we can do for the club. If we went to the market now, how much would it cost to get Phil Foden? I think it would be a lot of money. This is what is the best for the academy.
"It is the same with Rico Lewis. It can happen."
Guardiola will continue to spring tactical surprises. "Sometimes I have played full-backs wide and I am going to play full-backs wide again, that is not a problem." But his faith in his ideas, his faith in Lewis, is unwavering. The inverted full-back is here to stay.
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