Why Pep Guardiola tweaks v Brighton could show next Man City & Phil Foden masterplan

Pep Guardiola said ahead of Manchester City’s trip to Brighton that it would be his side’s most difficult of the six remaining games this season.

If that’s the case, just keep the blue and white ribbons on the trophy and let’s start again in August.

The 4-0 thumping at the Amex was City at their rhythmically brilliant best. They overawed Brighton with relentless wave after wave of attack, effortlessly kept the ball, dictated the pace of proceedings and, on the rare occasion they lost possession, instantly regained it.

That was just in the first half - there wasn’t much point continuing at that intensity after the break given that City led by three goals from star men Kevin De Bruyne and Phil Foden. The latter grabbed a brace under the watchful eye of Gareth Southgate, not that he needs to worry about his starting spot in the England team anymore.

The second period was less dominant and five substitutions didn’t exactly help with the team’s fluidity. The fresher legs may help at the City Ground on Sunday, though.

Nottingham Forest are more likely to pose a robust test than the one which greeted City on Thursday. Roberto De Zerbi is among the crop of Europe’s next top managers, but the naivety on show from his Brighton side may be the reason he misses out on some of the high-profile managerial positions on offer this summer.

His mate Guardiola didn’t help matters, and a few minor alterations from the Catalan had devastating impacts on the south coast. There was no John Stones or Manuel Akanji driving into midfield, while Rodri tended to sit anchored at the base of midfield. The runs from deep on this occasion came via the full-backs, Josko Gvardiol and Kyle Walker.

The latter is rarely afforded such freedom and he enjoyed this throwback display, with two assists from offensive areas, including for the fourth goal as Ederson’s 70-yard pass picked out Walker, the second most advanced player in the City team. A few seconds later he had teed up Julian Alvarez for the final major piece of action on another excellent night.

The goalkeeper’s repeated, inch-perfect long passes were another subtle alteration from Guardiola to capitalise on the gaps left by Brighton’s man-to-man system.

But it was the decision to start Bernardo Silva and Foden out wide that perhaps determined the one-sided nature of this encounter. Both pushed inside to create a free-flowing and tight-knit front five. It allowed City to move the ball at speed and have their two most effective players in central areas.

Frank Lampard claimed at the weekend that Foden’s versatility means he’ll always fit in around De Bruyne, a player Guardiola has admitted can only play as an advanced midfielder. Yet the Belgian’s days as the Premier League’s most creative midfielder might be dwindling based on the form of his precocious team-mate.

Thursday was proof that both talents can be maximised without City losing control. It was a performance that had shades of February’s 3-1 win over Brentford, when Foden netted a second career hat-trick and also pushed inside from a wide area.

For all 23-year-old’s preeminent performances this season, the one criticism that can still be levelled is certain games can bypass Foden when he lines up on the flanks. That was the case in recent high-profile Premier League matches against Arsenal and Liverpool, and Thursday’s display only emphasises that Guardiola’s next tactical evolution could centre around allowing Foden and De Bruyne to shine simultaneously. Where Erling Haaland and Jack Grealish fit into that is another question.

But for now, the City manager only has one thing to ponder over: What’s needed to win a fourth consecutive Premier League title.

On Thursday’s display, any punter would be brave to bet against them winning all of the final five league games, let alone the title. It won’t all be that smooth between now and the big finale on 19 May, but Guardiola might have a few more tactical tricks up his sleeve.