How Arteta, Flick, and Luis Enrique Draw Inspiration from Guardiola

Guardiola didn’t invent the “juego de posición”—or positional football—but he has advanced it further than anyone before him, establishing a new cultural framework. Whether we recognize it or not, he has already taken over, reports BBC Sport.

Indeed, three of Guardiola’s former protégés, Luis Enrique, Mikel Arteta, and Hansi Flick, found themselves in the Champions League semi-finals this week. Guardiola’s methodology will be under scrutiny once again in the final of Europe’s premier club competition.

However, there is increasing pushback against this model. Critics argue that it turns players into automatons, diminishes spontaneity, and compels defenders to adopt the roles of midfielders.

Some supporters and analysts deem this style outdated, overly structured, and devoid of the chaos and excitement associated with “real football”.

But perhaps such opposition overlooks the broader picture or responds more to poor implementations of the strategy than to the model itself.

Let’s examine the facts. Five of the eight Champions League quarter-finalists this season employed some version of positional football. Clubs across Europe—even traditional powerhouses such as Liverpool and, more recently, Manchester United under Ruben Amorim—are increasingly gravitating toward this approach.

He delivers outstanding performances, particularly in European competitions, where elite coaches and players significantly amplify his potential. More than merely a style of play, it’s a model that consistently yields victories.

Most importantly, it has become a cultural force. Clubs are hiring coaches who subscribe to this methodology, academies are training players accordingly, and football education worldwide is progressively aligning with these principles.

Of course, not every team can implement it successfully. But that has always been the case in football. Not all teams in the 1970s could play like Nottingham Forest or Liverpool, yet many aspired to emulate those squads because they defined the spirit of their era. Every period has a prevailing model, and it’s natural for most teams to aim toward it.

We’re transitioning from a football culture characterized by: structure in defense and freedom in attack. In simpler terms, we prepare defensively and leave attacking to the imagination of the forwards.

That is evolving, but cultural shifts take time. The new football paradigm is gradually taking root but has not yet fully established itself.

The attacking phase of the game can be broken down into three stages: the build-up, the construction, and the finish. The French even identify a fourth phase—the preparation for the final pass—which lies between the build-up and the finish. For clarity, we will focus on the basic three-part division here.

When Guardiola embarked on his coaching journey in 2001, his primary emphasis was on the build-up phase of the attack. The legendary tale of Victor Valdes, who thought Guardiola was eccentric for asking him to pass to uninterested defenders, is now a part of football folklore. It marked a pivotal moment in the sport’s evolution.

Following the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, and particularly after the 2019 rule change permitting the ball from a goal kick to be received inside the penalty area, coaching the build-up phase became not just common practice, but a cornerstone of modern football.

The construction phase of midfield control spread more gradually, but Guardiola had already begun to refine it at Barcelona, further honing it at Bayern and Manchester City.

However, the finale, the concluding act of the attacking movement, remains largely unstructured. Football has yet to devise a method to fully systematize it. The game’s culture—among both players and coaches—is not yet prepared for it. But one day, a revolutionary figure will emerge to enhance this final phase as well. That is the natural progression of football history.

For now, we have top experts refining the existing model alongside the three semi-finalists, with Unai Emery and Enzo Maresca also in the mix. Roberto de Zerbi has begun to push boundaries, though his progress has momentarily stalled.

“Pep is a reference for all of us who wish to play football in a certain way… You always learn something watching his teams. Always,” stated Paris Saint-Germain’s coach Luis Enrique.

“Working with him changed my perspective on football. He provided me with the tools to become a coach,” remarked Arsenal’s Mikel Arteta.

“Pep has profoundly inspired me. He possesses an incredible ability to organize the game, manage space, and consistently devise new solutions. Observing him conduct training at Bayern was truly enlightening. He is one of the greatest football intellects of all time,” added Barcelona’s Hans-Dieter Flick.

Much of the critique surrounding positional football stems from frustration: “If we can’t execute it well, we’d be better off not attempting it at all.”

Yet that’s not how progression operates. The fact that only the top teams have so far executed this model exceptionally doesn’t imply that it’s flawed. It indicates we are witnessing football in a transitional phase. The question should not be “Does this work?”, but “How can we do it better?”.

It’s easy to romanticize the past and claim that football was once more spontaneous, more “human.” However, the reality is that today’s football is superior. It is more intricate, more collective, and more thoughtfully designed. It is more challenging to coach, more difficult to play, and when executed correctly, perhaps even more beautiful to watch.

This is why coaches like Unai Emery are so intriguing. He has challenged his own beliefs, acknowledged the evolution of the game, and adapted accordingly. He embraced the tenets of positional play not for ideological motives, but because they provide greater control, clarity, and consistency, even without elite players.

Such adaptability requires courage. Not all coaches can manage it. And not all players can either. But I value clubs that choose to engage with the present rather than cling to what once worked.

Why shouldn’t center-backs like Virgil van Dijk, Pau Torres, or Pau Kubarsi be involved with the ball more frequently than midfielders? Why can’t they be playmakers? Why can’t they set a precedent for a new generation of defenders?

Even PSG, a club that has historically relied on individual brilliance, has begun to incorporate the principles of positional play in attack, preparing them to exert immediate pressure after losing possession.

The most challenging aspect of football, much like life, is looking forward and envisioning what lies ahead. It is far easier to look back and state, “Things were better then.”

I don’t claim to know what football will resemble in ten years. But I listen to those who do. And I believe that positional football represents both the present and the future.

We are experiencing a cultural transformation. Some coaches are attempting to emulate the model; some are succeeding; others are still on the learning curve. And yes, some are outright rejecting it.

Yet in five years, nearly everyone will be adopting some version of positional football. Not out of compulsion, but because football does not wait for those unwilling to adapt.

A new generation of coaches is already fluent in this language, and soon it will become universal.

We aren’t asking for every restaurant to boast a Michelin star. But we do expect them to refrain from serving frozen meals.

Let’s not resist this model. Instead, let’s embrace the journey. Let’s commend teams striving for excellence, blending structure with their own cultural identity, rather than dismissing them simply because they aren’t Guardiola’s City.

A new football culture has taken root and is here to stay.