Pep Guardiola, Kevin de Bruyne, and the Reinvention of Possession-Based Football
Note: This story was originally published in the fall of 2019
The first year I watched football, FC Barcelona conquered the sport. It was 2009 and that team, to this day Guardiola’s finest, graced the pitch and passed the ball around till they felt like putting it in the net. Then did it again. And again. For 90 minutes, every game.
As a Real Madrid fan, I will never forget the pure shock of watching one team play and the other chase shadows at the Nou Camp in 2010. Every hero needs a dragon to slay, and we had been the perfect foil, their dirty enemies, contrarian in style and spirit, thoroughly vanquished on that fateful night when they slotted home five and even Jose was lost for words.
The simple beauty of it, the tiki-taka, was beyond description… on so many nights it was ethereal to behold… pass, move, pass, move… simple and sophisticated, methodical and artistic at once, they reached the summit of Europe twice in three years, with the likes of Iniesta (the flawless one, what couldn’t he do?), Xavi (the purest of them all, the perfect midfielder), Busquets (the unsung master, the reincarnation of Pep himself) and you-know-who (the God of the game, need I say more?) all at their peak. After 2011, there were simply no more worlds to conquer, and Pep, Catalonia’s greatest gift since Gaudi, was gone a year later, his departure as stunningly swift as his team’s rise four years ago.
Teams like that define eras and seemingly last lifetimes, yet one of the reasons we love football is that it moves on. The game had been conquered, yes, but it wasn’t about to lay down and rest for all eternity. There was a power vacuum now, with competing clubs and coaches and playstyles all vying for superiority and dominance. Klopp’s counterpressing at Dortmund, a new Bayern under Pep, Enrique’s Barca (MSN), a resurgent Real, and Juve all fought for the throne for some time. Pep’s Munich enjoyed domestic success but lacked European results; blowout losses to Real and Barca in the Champions League begged the question: was tiki-taka dead?
In time, Guardiola sought a new challenge, as the greatest innovators are wont to do. In 2016, Manchester City, England’s nouveau riche, had their man, and his first season was a mixed bag (by his lofty standards, a disappointment, perhaps). The quality was there, but the results were yet to come. The rest of the story you will know well. In 2017–18 City became Premier League champions, amassing 100 points and breaking numerous records in the process. Last season they repeated as winners of English football’s top division, edging out Klopp’s Liverpool in a thrilling title race and being foiled in Europe only because of that match against Spurs. While they sit in third place a third of the way through this season, few would argue the fact that Guardiola has proven his doubters wrong in the Premier League by playing his brand of possession-based football and succeeding in the world’s fastest and most physical footballing division.
Of course, they don’t make ’em like they used to anymore. Guardiola football today is different than it used to be; for all his idealism and principles of play, there is no doubting Pep’s qualities as a tinkerer and adapter given his set of players and cultural footballing context. City play more quickly and are more direct than the Barcelona side Guardiola once managed. There is more creativity from the fullbacks, and more pressing high up the pitch. The midfield does not always control the game the way Xavi, Iniesta, and Busquets used to; short passing isn’t necessarily all the rage. The one-twos and the triangulations remain a staple, but the team play with a certain intensity, tempo, and aggression which stand out as distinct from the unhurried composure of the Catalans.
If one were forced to pick a single player who embodied this new tiki-taka style, you would be hard-pressed to find a better ambassador than the Belgian midfielder Kevin De Bruyne.
There is no finer attacking playmaker in the world, surely (well, besides that man). Watching De Bruyne run into space with options in front of him is one of the great thrills of the modern game. And time after time, he manages to surprise you. Rarely does one witness such a marriage between a player’s physical qualities and understanding of the game. As he drives forward at the opposition with the ball at his feet, the options flash through your mind (Outside of the foot pass to Bernardo? Long switch to Sterling? Left-footed strike toward the top corner?), and he always seems to make the right choice, often opting for something which didn’t even seem possible moments ago (mazy dribble followed by setting up Aguero for the goal). His aggression, directness, and long-range passing and shooting combined with his close control, nuanced movements, and vision represent a gift from the footballing Gods. Zidanesque, De Bruyne is a glorious blend of the classical and modern footballer.
It is no surprise that he and Pep share a special bond. In 2017, Guardiola observed that “Messi is on a table on his own, no-one else is allowed. But the table beside, Kevin can sit there” (what about that Portugese guy, Pep?). Xavi has likened De Bruyne’s spark in the current Man City side to Messi’s in Barca as well (“Every time he has the ball, you get the feeling he is going to do something special with it”). If De Bruyne is not held in the same regard as some of the world’s top goalscorers are, that is a consequence of the (understandable) bias toward forwards and is hardly a commentary on his undeniable class.
At 28 years old, one is optimistic that we will see at least a couple more years of De Bruyne at his very best, most probably under Pep as well. While City are long shots at this point to win a third consecutive league title, they remain the most robust challengers to Liverpool’s place at the top of the table. If it is destined to be the Reds’ year in England, the duo of Guardiola and De Bruyne must hope they can swap trophies with Klopp’s men. By playing their brand of enthralling, neoclassical possession football, they will have their eyes on finally claiming Europe’s top prize.
