A certain Manchester City player admitted he felt “lost” against Nottingham Forest due to the instructions Pep Guardiola had in place for him.
Thankfully for Guardiola, his City side earned a hard-fought victory against Forest by winning 2-0 on Sunday.
The Manchester City boss is known to tailor specific roles for his players based on the opponent, despite his team being better than most.
As a result, while Pep Guardiola is reputed for making the game easier for the players he coaches, one can understand why his tactical instructions can also be complex.
The two-time treble-winner views the game in a way that not many do; including some of the best players in the world who have a thorough understanding of his system.
For instance, against Nottingham Forest, Jack Grealish had quite an interesting role.
Man City star admits he was “lost” vs Forest due to Guardiola instructions
The 28-year-old usually plays as a touchline winger but that was not necessarily the case against Forest.
Jack Grealish was tasked to take up central positions, as he had quite an impressive outing.
Perhaps the decision was taken to offset Phil Foden’s absence from central areas as he was not in the matchday squad.
However, there were also plenty of occasions where Grealish played his usual role from the left wing against Forest.
Having worked with Guardiola for a few years now, the former Aston Villa attacker seemingly understands his demands to a tee.
Perhaps initially when he joined City, that was not the case.
After Manchester City beat Nottingham Forest at the County Ground, Josko Gvardiol admitted he was confused due to Pep Guardiola changing his demands from him during the game.
“At the beginning, it was one idea, then the manager changed it after half an hour, then again at half-time, he made a change back to do the same as at the beginning of the game”, the £77.6 million man said [via BBC Sport].
“To be fair, I was a bit lost because I did not know exactly what he wanted from me but he was much clearer after at half-time.”
One could not tell Gvardiol was confused
Funnily enough, Josko Gvardiol had a case for being the standout player for Manchester City against Nottingham Forest, which perhaps proves Pep Guardiola deployed him correctly.
In our view, Gvardiol did not look even the slightest bit confused, operating as a makeshift left-wing back when his team had possession with aplomb against Forest.
Perhaps the Croatian is referring to how at times, he was out wide and then seemingly instructed to play centrally.
However, the 22-year-old was brilliant defensively, keeping two of Chris Wood’s attempts from close range at bay; one of which he cleared off the line.
Gvardiol always seemed to dominate his one-versus-one battles, played enticing passes to Grealish and showcased his technical ability in tight spaces against Forest and scoring the opener.
Pep Guardiola and Josko Gvardiol might well be inclined to have a chat after Manchester City beat Nottingham Forest to ensure the latter has more clarity about the former’s tactical demands.
