The weeketh of ranketh continueth. My buddy Bill Connelly and I came up with our fourth edition of the Premier League power rankings — and there’s a new no. 1! And 2! And 4! And 6! And, well, you see where I’m going: If you look back at all of those possession totals for City, you can see that there was a sudden decline from 2021-22 to last season: more than three percentage points. In order to get the most out of Haaland -- a player who isn't going to drop deep and combine with teammates, and also someone who simply isn't going to touch the ball that often -- City had to get a little more comfortable without the ball. And to get more comfortable without the ball, Guardiola adjusted by playing more traditional defenders than he had in the past.
The Premier League, Ranked, Vol. 4
The Premier League, Ranked, Vol. 4
The Premier League, Ranked, Vol. 4
The weeketh of ranketh continueth. My buddy Bill Connelly and I came up with our fourth edition of the Premier League power rankings — and there’s a new no. 1! And 2! And 4! And 6! And, well, you see where I’m going: If you look back at all of those possession totals for City, you can see that there was a sudden decline from 2021-22 to last season: more than three percentage points. In order to get the most out of Haaland -- a player who isn't going to drop deep and combine with teammates, and also someone who simply isn't going to touch the ball that often -- City had to get a little more comfortable without the ball. And to get more comfortable without the ball, Guardiola adjusted by playing more traditional defenders than he had in the past.