For a long time, Pep Guardiola has been a trailblazer in shaping the tactical concepts of modern football, influencing competitors with his approach. Wherever Guardiola led, others tended to follow.

However, during Manchester City’s draw with Arsenal, Guardiola presented a surprising deviation from his usual style. It seemed as though he was adopting strategies that were not typically his own.

City adopted a more defensive stance. They retreated into a low block, absorbed Arsenal’s offensive efforts, and launched counter-attacks. The typical quick and precise ball movement associated with Pep was noticeably absent.

It all looked a bit, well, Jose Mourinho. It so nearly worked, too.

The first goal by City was a masterclass in counter-attacking, with Erling Haaland connecting with Tijjani Reinders deep in their own half, sprinting forward as Reinders advanced, and then finishing past David Raya.

It was a goal more akin to Haaland’s time at Borussia Dortmund than his three previous seasons at City.

Guardiola explained his tactical approach was partly influenced by player fatigue after the grueling schedule, including a Manchester derby and a Champions League game against Napoli within the same week.

Perhaps he remembered his City side being walloped 5-1 at the Emirates last season and didn’t too much like the idea of it happening again.

A glance at the average position maps from both matches highlights the striking contrast. The team shifted from aggressive pressing to a more conservative approach, even switching to a back five in the final moments of the game.

The irony of it all was that the moment City abandoned his Mourinho-esque plan, in the third minute of stoppage time, they conceded the equaliser.

Instead of dropping back when a passer of Eberechi Eze’s quality had the ball just inside his own half, City stepped up, Gabriel Martinelli made his run and sent the Emirates Stadium into raptures.

City had nearly been caught out the same way midway through the first half when Mikel Merino almost picked out Leandro Trossard running in behind after Viktor Gyokeres came short to link-up play and dragged Ruben Dias with him.

But for so much of the match, City had kept their deep shape as shown below, when Arsenal had the ball in a similar area of the pitch with around an hour played.

So, is this the new City? Has Pep Guardiola… changed?

‘We try to not be like this,’ he said after the game last night. ‘But when the opponent is better, and we defend deeper, we will counter. But we try not to play like this.’

Only that’s not quite right. City have played like this for much of the season so far.

In every season under Guardiola, City have averaged the highest possession of any side in the division. This season, they sit eighth, posting their lowest-ever numbers and averaging less than even Nottingham Forest and Manchester United, both of whom are known for their counter-attacking.

That 33 per cent figure against Arsenal will drag that average down. It’s a small sample size of only five matches but their possession is just 52.3 per cent so far, a drop-off of 10-15 percentage points on their usual numbers.

They had a minority of possession against United and in only one match this season have they had as much as last season’s average of 62 per cent.

Guardiola tried to remind his Sky Sports interviewer last night that counter-attacking is nothing new to his City side.

‘You remember Leroy Sane and Raheem Sterling,’ he asked. ‘You remember how many counter-attacks we did, with Kevin De Bruyne? You remember?’

We do remember, Pep, but even that wasn’t to this level.

So far this season City have attempted the most ‘fast breaks’ – what Opta define as ‘an attempt created after a team quickly turn defence into attack, winning the ball in their own half’ – in the Premier League. In other words, a counter-attack.

Last season, City ranked 16th for fast breaks. The season before, 17th. Haaland’s goal against Arsenal was his second coming from a fast break in the space of a week, following his second in the 3-0 win over Manchester United. That’s already more than he managed last season, and he’s never scored more than two in a single campaign.

It was City’s third as a team, with the other coming on the opening day when Haaland and Reijnders flew forward and the latter slotted in his first goal for the club on debut. Again, this is the most of any side in the league so far, and as many as Guardiola’s side managed in the entirety of 2024-25.

‘One time parking the bus in 10 years isn’t bad, right?’ said Guardiola, who tried to play down the tactical approach after the game. But it’s clear there’s been a shift.

Pep has always been a manager to adapt his styles and systems. Inverted full backs, false nines, Fabian Delph at left back.

City struggled last season to keep up as so many of their rivals shifted towards a more direct style of play.

Injury to Rodri and the ageing midfield legs of the likes of De Bruyne and Ilkay Gundogan left them ill-equipped to deal with opposition counter-attacks while the improving standard of pressing across the division meant teams were far more adept at disrupting City’s patient style.

And so, once again, Pep is trying to come up with a different way. Only two league wins so far suggests he’s still trying to figure it out. But he’s got pace to burn in Jeremy Doku. Reijnders’ ability to carry the ball is a huge weapon.

It even gets more from Haaland, who can use his strength and stride to open up space across more of the pitch. Once he was at full pelt at the Emirates, centre back Gabriel was never going to catch him.

Back in January, Guardiola remarked that ‘modern football is the way that Bournemouth play, that Newcastle play, Brighton play. Modern football is not so positional. You need to rise to the rhythm’. And for once, Guardiola is clearly trying to follow that new groove.