He has previously described it as “taking a coffee” and it is an approach that does not always thrill the City fans, some of whom would prefer a bit more cut and thrust: more risks, a bit more action.
That is not in Guardiola’s thinking at all, though, to the extent that when he suggested an alternative, albeit one he seemingly hated the sound of, it was nothing like putting the ball in the mixer more often.
The other option is to say, ‘OK, you don’t come? I don’t come’, he said at Molineux. We’ll stay with Edi (Ederson), and then who decides to come? That will be so difficult for our spectators. Imagine Ruben (Dias) has the ball and says, ‘OK, I don’t attack’, stay there. What would happen? I don’t know what would happen but it would be a problem.
But maybe he inspired himself, because City actually trialled it on Wednesday night.
Once they had gone 3-0 up against Sparta Prague — a threshold which made Guardiola feel comfortable enough to make some substitutes — his defenders started to do exactly what he suggested on Sunday — stand and wait.
And guess what? It was not a problem for the spectators, because Sparta did not, as suggested, stay back and wait as well. They pushed up, coaxed away from their own goal and into applying a bit of pressure. It cost them.
When asked about it after the game, Guardiola did not sound especially convinced it would work again — if it had worked at all.
What would happen if we do that from the first minute? What would happen in football? he asked.
When it was suggested it might lead the opposition to press, he replied:
I don’t think so. Maybe. But if they don’t want to attack and we don’t want to attack, what happens?