Pep Guardiola’s attackers get the plaudits but his defensive work deserves most credit

When Manchester City were in an offensive mood last season, they were almost unstoppable. All the ingredients of their gourmet attack had been carefully provisioned already, with Pep Guardiola the head chef tasked with gradually cooking up a feast of goals.

With Kevin De Bruyne, Raheem Sterling, Gabriel Jesus and Leroy Sane still finding their feet at the club, there was room for improvement even as Sergio Aguero and David Silva were characteristically exquisite. That improvement has been more than evident this term – City have scored a magnificent 40 goals in their first 12 league matches, half of their total for the entirety of the 2016-17 campaign.

There was never any doubt that Guardiola would turn City into an attacking phenomenon. While Kevin De Bruyne’s performances this season have exceeded even the highest expectations, give the world’s most lauded tactician access to so much offensive talent and there are bound to be spectacular results.

Where Guardiola was questioned last term was in his approach to coaching the defence, with City showing a soft underbelly to opponents too often. Conventional wisdom suggested that – while Guardiola’s continental airs and graces were conducive to stylish attacking football – he was struggling to find the defensive substance required for his team to thrive in the rough-and-tumble of English football.

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While the physicality and machismo of the English game are no doubt greatly exaggerated these days, City certainly struggled to implement Guardiola’s ideas across the back four. They conceded 39 goals over the course of the 2016-17 season – six more than champions Chelsea, 13 more than second-placed Spurs and 10 more than sixth-placed Manchester United – sometimes in calamitous fashion and with a whiff of disorganisation.

Brutal

While John Stones and Nicolas Otamendi came in for brutal criticism for their showings in the centre, full-back became a fundamental problem position for City. Whether suffering from the effects of the ageing process or no longer adequate for the role, Bacary Sagna, Pablo Zabaleta, Gael Clichy and Aleksandar Kolarov failed to meet Guardiola’s needs.

Having completely cleared out his full-backs in the summer and spent around £130million on the position – bringing in Kyle Walker, Benjamin Mendy and Danilo for considerable fees – Guardiola would have been excoriated had his defence failed to improve this time around.

While Mendy suffered cruciate ligament damage in September and Guardiola has recently been forced to draft Fabian Delph at left-back, City’s defensive turnaround is plain to see. Having notched up only two clean sheets in their first 15 league games last season, Guardiola’s men have already shut out the opposition on seven occasions this term – including clean sheets against Chelsea and Liverpool.

Not only has Guardiola brought in fit and fast full-backs who can close down under pressure, overload the attack going forward and manipulate space as his tactical approach demands, he has also revitalised City’s flagging centre-backs.

Both Stones and Otamendi struggled for confidence last season, but look like new men having rediscovered their poise and concentration (making Stones’ latest hamstring injury all the more frustrating). After 12 games unbeaten and only seven goals conceded in the league, maybe Pep can coach a defence after all.