Haaland on pace to surpass Messi and Ronaldo's best seasons. Is that good for Man City?

"But it wasn't that he was using tiki taka to make the case for the Green New Deal or universal health care. (That would be ironic, given how Guardiola and a number of his players got in trouble for not paying their taxes.) Rather, he was trying to verbalize what made his team so different from their competitors: "Everyone does everything.""

"His goalkeeper was one of his best passers. His wingers defended like defensive midfielders. His defensive midfielders had the close control of classical attacking midfielders. His attacking midfielders scored lots of goals. His strikers facilitated the central runs of his wingers. The ball was always Barcelona's because everyone felt comfortable with it, no matter where they were on the field. This was Guardiola Ball."

"It certainly was at one time -- but it isn't anymore. After four years of stylistic compromise, it sure seems like Guardiola's Manchester City have finally become Erling Haaland's team. When the gigantic, one-dimensional, goal-scoring Norwegian first signed with City back in the summer of 2022, there at least existed the possibility that the then-22-year-old would eventually learn how to be a more active participant in Guardiola's preferred, constantly shifting possession machine."

Pep Guardiola described his Barcelona teams as playing "leftist football," summarized by the maxim "Everyone does everything." Players exchanged traditional positional roles: the goalkeeper progressed play, wingers tracked back, defensive midfielders displayed close attacking control, attacking midfielders scored, and strikers created space for wide runs. That collective comfort with the ball defined Guardiola Ball. Over time, Manchester City evolved away from that universally shared approach. The arrival of Erling Haaland, a gigantic, one-dimensional, prolific scorer, coincided with a shift toward a Haaland-centered model. Instead of Haaland adapting into the possession system, City have become more reliant on his singular goal-scoring role.

Read at ESPN.com