Pep Guardiola has bizarrely claimed the Premier League’s growing obsession with set-pieces means most matches are now like facing Tony Pulis’s infamous Stoke City team, as he revealed his Manchester City side are the only one yet to score from a corner this season.
MANCHESTER—Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has claimed that most Premier League trips now resemble facing Stoke City under Tony Pulis, asserting that an obsession with set pieces is currently engulfing the top flight, according to a report in the Daily Mail. The manager stopped short of criticizing the growing trend, but insisted that the emphasis on physicality over technical skill means he would be ‘naïve’ to ignore the impact of dead-ball situations.
The statistical shift supports Guardiola’s observation: nearly 19 per cent of all Premier League goals have come directly from corners this season, a figure almost five per cent higher than any previous year. The trend was evident during City’s defeat to Aston Villa, where Matty Cash scored the winner from a corner, despite City being the only team to have sourced all of their goals from open play this term.
Guardiola drew a direct comparison to the past, referencing classic set-piece specialists. “I remember when I was not here, Stoke City. Do you remember Stoke City when they made the throws? Now it’s just more and more teams doing that but back then maybe Stoke was the exception.” He highlighted a recent example, noting the challenge against Brentford: “We suffered when we played at Brentford, or look at Brentford against Liverpool which we saw in our hotel, every action (Michael) Kayode put in the box.”
The shift contributes to a perceived drop in quality across the league, with the average goals per game now the lowest since 2017 and the ball in play for barely 55 minutes a match.
While acknowledging the strategic importance of set plays, Guardiola affirmed his long-held managerial philosophy. “I want to score from free kicks and corners – I’m not naïve to that. I want it. But I spend my time on what we have to do to play better, attack better and create chances. To score goals.” He concluded by noting his preference for technical football: “But still I dream to play.”