People didn’t have to write the team off to see things were off.
Pep had lost his way, looked disinterested etc. But Dias has been a huge addition. Pep seems to have got really hot for defence, he’s always been interested which is testament to our previous records, but the absolute security back there has really, really perked him up... and the whole team.
The great thing for me about Pep is he’s prepared to change his mind and adapt. He’s done it on players, he’s done it on formations. Maybe in hindsight he’s a bit slow to grasp these things... but that’s being human because no one else is there making those choices.
Because he’s so tactically adept, and is prepared to change stance, he’s proving for the idiots (Mail other teams’ fans) that he is a generational manager in charge. Like Messi and Ronaldo though, other teams also have very good managers that can compete using different if not similarly aesthetically mechanics.
Like all top professionals Guardiola has found a way with his tools. Our tools are very good but the cutting edge had been taken away. However he’s again found a way. Hopefully he can move things forward now and capitalise on the deficiencies of other teams and win a 3rd in 4 leagues, because the opportunity is there.