Steve Nicol: Pep Guardiola not a tactical genius at all

Pep Guardiola’s tactical ability has been questioned following his side’s 5-3 victory over free-scoring Monaco in an all-time Champions League classic at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday.

Although; Manchester City scored five goals in the encounter, their second highest excluding qualifiers in a Champions League game since their 5-2 v CSKA Moscow in 2013, ESPN pundit Steve Nicol wasn’t happy with what he saw.

“Guardiola gets the pat on the back how bigger genius is tactics are who can do this and that,” he said.

“How can he go on in the second half after the two center backs Otamendi and Stones got undressed by Falcao and Mbappe and he doesn’t do anything about it.

“He just left them on, and of course what happened they got undressed again and somehow they got themselves five goals and they came out on top, where is this tactical genius? is it just who cares mentality,” he quizzed.

Steve Nicol who was a five-time English, three-time FA Cup and European Cup champion while playing as a defender for Liverpool questioned Guardiola’s impact on the other end of his team’s play and the impact he has made on his defender’s ability to do their jobs as defenders.

“The kid (John Stones) is a potential if he can actually learn how to defend, he is making repeated mistakes because obviously there is no one helping him.

“By the way, since we are on this subject can you tell me all these genius coaches Klopp, Guardiola, Wenger all these genius coaches who among them is actually teaching their defenders how to defend.

“It’s all about closing the ball, tactics. I am not sure they learnt the actual basics of the game, there are two basics of the game one is attacking the other is defending and clearly nobody wants to have anything to do with defending anymore other than a couple of guys like Conte guess Chelsea is top of the Premier League.”