The Blueprint of Pep Guardiola's New Coaching Appointments and How It Will Shape Manchester City’s Future

The off-season is often a time for reflection, recalibration, and renewal—even for the reigning English champions. For Manchester City, a club that has dominated English and European football under Pep Guardiola, this summer has brought not only squad evaluation but significant additions to the coaching staff. Guardiola’s recruitment of Pepijn Lijnders, formerly Jürgen Klopp’s assistant at Liverpool, and Kolo Touré, the former Arsenal and Manchester City defender turned coach, reflects a bold intent: to refine and evolve the tactical identity of City heading into a new era.

In this newsletter, we’ll break down:

• How these coaching moves will impact Manchester City tactically.
  
  

• What Lijnders brings from his Liverpool and Red Bull Salzburg experiences.
  
  

• How Touré’s defensive insights will benefit City’s backline.
  
  

• Why Guardiola is making these changes now.
  
  

• Coaching points and tactical applications for aspiring coaches and analysts.
  
  

🔄 Why Now? The Timing Behind Guardiola’s Backroom Changes

Pep Guardiola has never been one to make changes for the sake of change. Every move he makes is intentional, strategic, and rooted in long-term vision. So why, after an era of unprecedented success—including a treble-winning campaign in 2022–23—has Guardiola chosen this moment to refresh his coaching staff at Manchester City?

Here are several key reasons:

1. Staving Off Tactical Stagnation

Even the most successful systems can become predictable. By bringing in Pepijn Lijnders, a coach molded in Jürgen Klopp’s high-intensity pressing system, Guardiola is injecting new ideas, energy, and unpredictability into City's structure. Combining Guardiola's positional control with Lijnders’ expertise in transitional pressing may lead to a more aggressive and multi-dimensional game model.

2. A New Cycle Begins

Manchester City is entering a transitional phase with younger players like Gvardiol, Lewis, and Álvarez taking center stage. Veteran leaders are aging or moving on. Guardiola is assembling a coaching staff that can mentor the next generation, both technically and emotionally—Touré, in particular, brings invaluable leadership and experience from his time as a player in elite defensive units.

3. Future-Proofing the Club’s Identity

With Guardiola’s contract ending in 2025, there is uncertainty about his long-term stay. By onboarding coaches who reflect both innovation and consistency, Guardiola is helping build an adaptable footballing identity that can last beyond his own tenure.

4. Addressing Defensive Transitions

Despite City’s dominance in possession, their vulnerability in defensive transitions remains a tactical concern. Touré’s inclusion addresses this directly by adding a coach with specialized defensive expertise and a hands-on approach to 1v1 defending, recovery runs, and shape under pressure.

📌 Coaching Insight: Just like rotating players prevents fatigue, refreshing your coaching team prevents tactical and motivational stagnation.

🔥 Pepijn Lijnders: Pressing, Intensity, and Verticality

Background:

• Over a decade at Liverpool alongside Jürgen Klopp.
  
  

• Helped build Liverpool’s pressing identity and transition play.
  
  

• Short stint as head coach at Red Bull Salzburg, focusing on high tempo, high pressing systems.
  
  

⚽ Tactical Influence at Manchester City

1. Pressing Triggers

Expect City to implement more aggressive pressing cues—especially high up the pitch. Lijnders will likely influence:

• Compact pressing structures.
  
  

• Better spacing in the front three.
  
  

• Fast recoveries post-ball loss (counter-pressing).
  
  

2. Verticality

Lijnders brings urgency to forward passing and transitions. At Salzburg, his team averaged more direct forward passes into the final third than most Bundesliga sides—an indication of his intent to strike quickly when space allows.

📊 Liverpool under Lijnders averaged 9.5 PPDA (passes per defensive action), one of the most intense pressing metrics in Europe.

🛡️ Kolo Touré: Defensive Structure, Resilience, and Mentorship

Background:

• Key figure in Arsenal’s "Invincibles" and a former Man City defender.
  
  

• Coaching experience with Ivory Coast, Celtic, Leicester City.
  
  

• Managed Wigan Athletic in the Championship.
  
  

🧠 Tactical Contribution

1. 1v1 and Line Management

Touré’s role will focus on:

• Defensive positioning under pressure.
  
  

• Timing of challenges.
  
  

• Managing the high line and transitions—a core feature of City’s risk-reward defending.
  
  

2. Mentoring Mentality

Touré’s presence offers guidance to defenders such as Akanji, Gvardiol, and Walker, especially in high-stakes matches. His calm demeanor and tactical simplicity can help players remain composed when faced with elite attackers.

📊 At Leicester, Touré helped reduce open-play goals conceded and improved aerial duel win rate by 7% during his tenure as defensive coach.

🔍 Tactical Summary: Manchester City’s Potential Evolution (2024–25)

🧠 Coaching Takeaways

• Tactical evolution doesn't mean abandoning identity—it means refining it.
  
  

• Adding coaches with different experiences enhances internal competition and new perspectives.
  
  

• Player development often improves with new mentorship—not just new tactics.
  
  

✅ Conclusion: Guardiola’s Blueprint for the Next Era

With Pepijn Lijnders and Kolo Touré, Manchester City is entering a new chapter in its football evolution. Guardiola has proven time and again that success is not about replicating the past—it's about anticipating the future.

This coaching overhaul gives City:

• Greater tactical flexibility.
  
  

• Improved defensive structure.
  
  

• A refreshed culture of player accountability and innovation.
  
  

As the 2024–25 season approaches, expect a more intense, more vertical, and more defensively aware Manchester City—still true to Guardiola’s DNA, but infused with new blood and new ideas.