Sean Dyche Burnley
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has highlighted the tactical acumen of Nottingham Forest’s new manager, Sean Dyche, as the club seeks to improve its standing in the Premier League. Dyche, renowned for his set-piece strategies during his time at Burnley, is expected to bring his expertise to Forest, who currently find themselves struggling near the bottom of the league table.
Pep Guardiola said: “It’s true that people use every throw-in like a corner and put 10 players there in the box. 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. And Kayode was man of the match. Today set pieces are a threat. I remember a long time ago with Sean Dyche in Burnley. Burnley were an incredible threat in the long balls, second balls. Dyche is one of the best by far doing these kinds of aspects. It’s not new, he did it before. Or Sam Allardyce. Or 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. I remember when I was at Barcelona and Bayern Munich, Arsene Wenger talked about going to play at Stoke City but now it happens a lot of times. Maybe it didn’t happen (much) when I arrived, maybe (just) at Burnley, but now it’s a fact. And you have to pay attention. But still I dream to play.”
Guardiola’s comments underscore the growing importance of set pieces in modern football, with many teams adopting these strategies to gain an edge. Arsenal, for instance, has already scored nine league goals from set-pieces this season, showcasing the effectiveness of such tactics. In contrast, both Nottingham Forest and Manchester City have found themselves at the lower end of the spectrum in terms of set-piece goals.
Guardiola said: “Every manager does what they believe. 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. Of course I pay attention but I know I’m not the manager to try to… it’s what I’ve done all my career. I remember at Burnley when it was tough, we conceded only one corner or maybe not even one. Why? Because we controlled the second balls. The best kind of way to defend these games is in that way. But for that, you have to be good in a lot of aspects and we are working on it. I will, until the end, continue to work mainly on our game. And sometimes adapt, when we have to do it. We did it at Brentford incredibly well. (Set piece coach) James (French) made an incredible job seducing our players into how we should defend these kinds of actions. It was unbelievable, the same at Arsenal. We conceded a lot of corners against Arsenal because we didn’t control the game.”
Guardiola’s remarks reflect his belief in a balanced approach, emphasizing the need to improve overall gameplay while recognizing the significance of set-piece tactics. As Nottingham Forest looks to leverage Dyche’s expertise, the club hopes to turn their fortunes around and climb out of the relegation zone. With Dyche’s proven track record at Burnley, Forest fans will be optimistic about their team’s prospects under his guidance.
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