For the second year running, Pep Guardiola and Manchester City have lost FA Cup finals—last year to Manchester United, and this year to Crystal Palace. In both matches, we see a pattern that managers use to limit Pep Guardiola, and on both occasions, it has worked. That begs the question: Have English clubs cracked the code on how to beat Pep Guardiola in one-off finals?

Have English Clubs Cracked The Pep Guardiola Code In Finals?

It might be a stretch to say Pep Guardiola has been found out, but it’s beginning to look like the Spaniard often fails against a specific setup in finals, even when his team dominates possession.

First, Chelsea beat City in the 2021 UEFA Champions League final. Then Erik ten Hag’s Manchester United defeated them in the 2023/24 FA Cup final. Now, Crystal Palace have done the same. Here’s the code we believe all three teams cracked against Manchester City in the finals they played.

Defend Deep on the Wings

Just like Chelsea did in 2021 with Reece James and Ben Chilwell defending deep, Manchester United also defended deep with Diogo Dalot and Aaron Wan-Bissaka.

Crystal Palace followed suit with Daniel Muñoz and Tyrick Mitchell. This tactic worked well to neutralize Manchester City’s pacy and tricky wingers.

In the 2023/24 FA Cup final, Manchester United midfielder Sofyan Amrabat occasionally dropped between Raphaël Varane and Lisandro Martínez to stretch the defence and counter City’s wing-based play.

Pack the Middle

These sides also packed the middle against Manchester City, often placing five players to tightly mark City’s midfielders.

Chelsea used Jorginho, Kanté, Reece James, Chilwell, and Mason Mount. Manchester United used Amrabat, Kobbie Mainoo, Bruno Fernandes, Scott McTominay, and Alejandro Garnacho.

Crystal Palace employed Muñoz, Mitchell, Adam Wharton, Daichi Kamada, and Eze.

Each of these teams also included a ball carrier who could help break City’s press and launch a counter-attack. For Chelsea, it was Kanté. For Manchester United, Mainoo filled that role. For Crystal Palace, Wharton carried out that task effectively.

Construct an Efficient Counter-Attack Strategy

Chelsea scored a carefully constructed and well-orchestrated counter-attacking goal in the UEFA Champions League final against Manchester City. Manchester United relied on long switches, which directly led to two goals in last season’s FA Cup final.

Have English Clubs Cracked The Pep Guardiola Code In Finals?

Crystal Palace had the quality needed to play out from the back against a team like Manchester City—most notably with a strong striker like Jean-Philippe Mateta, which Manchester United lacked but compensated for with switches to the wings. Palace also orchestrated a beautiful move to steal the FA Cup from Pep Guardiola’s side.

This strategy goes beyond just parking the bus and hitting on the counter. It’s specific and detailed, and it has worked against Pep Guardiola in major finals three times now. Maybe he’ll solve it soon—or maybe not.

What do you think? Are we reaching? Or has Pep Guardiola truly been found out?