Journalist and close friend Marti Perarnau spoke with Guardiola about his reliance on wide wingers during the 2016-17 campaign.
In Perarnau’s book, The Pep Revolution, Guardiola reflects that the shift is demanding; you can’t simply tell wide players what to do and expect instant results.
The first hurdle, he explains, is persuading the wingers to hold their width—wait on the touchline, stay patient, and trust that their moment will come.
When the opportunity arrives, the key question is how many defenders they must beat.
Ideally, just one.
The entire structure is built so the winger typically faces a single opponent—sometimes none. Drift inside and lose that spacing, and suddenly you’re confronted by several defenders instead.
A decade later, that reasoning neatly captures the logic behind Maresca’s current setup—and why it still delivers.
Through pre-season, Antoine Semenyo—kept wide on the flank—was arguably City’s standout, repeatedly receiving early with room to run at his full-back. Those moments often ended with him reaching the area and cutting the ball back for a simple finish behind the defence.
For the players supporting the winger, the brief becomes clear: keep engineering that repeatable scenario.