EPL 2017/18: Five things that could be different at Manchester City this season

#3 A slight tweak in tactics, style of play

A band of cerebral coaches

The major and typical characteristics of the Pep's football will never be affected, no matter which club he manages. The style of playing from the back, having possession, wing backs occupying space in the midfield, high pressing et al. will be eternal in his football, but we might witness small differences in approach mainly due to the team's ability to adapt to various formations.

Pep wanted his Barca team to imagine the game as playing with a ball of fire and was against taking many touches with the ball. With the chemistry in the team burgeoning and with the players having a better understanding of the Pep's idea and vision, we can expect more intricate passes, more overlaps and more Barcelona-esque football this season. The money shelled to buy high quality players having superior abilities to retain the ball should help in the aforementioned.

Last season, we witnessed Sterling and Sane playing as traditional wingers, trying to cut inside from the wing and cross the ball to the strikers in the box.

City are now expected to shuffle between the 3-5-2 formation where there won’t be any outright wingers and 4-3-3 formation. In the latter, the players might be instructed to play more closer to the box and play more centrally with the superior ball retaining skills of the new signing Bernardo Silva and the agile full backs being able to provide the width.

We might also expect central midfielders to take more shots at the goal which was a very rare sight last season.