“It’s not English football anymore!” – Striker left fuming by Pep Guardiola ‘ruining football’ | OneFootball

Manchester City’s Pep Guardiola has ‘single handedly ruined English football’, according to one striker plying his trade in the Football League.

Since his arrival in 2016, Guardiola has had a seismic impact on the English game, transforming the way teams play across all levels of the football pyramid, stemming from his vision executed to perfection at the Etihad Stadium.

The Catalan coach, renowned for his tactical philosophy of possession-based football and intricate build-up play, has led Manchester City to a staggering six Premier League titles and introduced a style that many have tried to replicate.

While Guardiola’s influence has often been praised as revolutionary, not everyone has embraced the shift. Critics argue that the ripple effect of his philosophy has filtered down to clubs in the lower divisions, changing expectations and approaches even in the most traditional corners of the English game.

For those raised on a more direct, physical brand of football, the modern shift toward building from the back and prioritising ball retention represents a departure from the identity they once knew, leading to increasing frustration among some players and coaches outside the Premier League bubble.

Some view the influence of Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City as a distortion of what made English football unique; a game driven by intensity, physicality, and simplicity. And now, one striker has made his disapproval known in no uncertain terms.

Speaking with BBC Radio 5Live, Colchester United striker Lyle Taylor has particularly been left fuming by the state of English football at present – a landscape that he believes has been ‘ruined’ by Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola.

“Everyone’s playing out from the back. Pep [Guardiola] has single handedly ruined [English] football. He has! Because it’s not English football anymore,” Taylor fumed.

He continued, “We’ve now adopted this European, I suppose mish mash almost, because we still want to play channel balls because it’s what we grew up doing.

“As soon as we get to 11-a-side, the full-back curls one down the side, the winger comes short, checks, and he gets in-behind. They don’t do that on the continent!”

Taylor’s words will resonate with some who believe that English football’s identity is being lost in a sea of continental philosophies. But for others, Pep Guardiola’s tactical advancements are exactly what elevated the national game to the global elite, with the Premier League widely regarded as the best domestic competition in the world.

Interestingly, the debate comes at a time when Manchester City’s success continues to force rivals into tactical overhauls. Whether it be Mikel Arteta at Arsenal, Ruben Amorim at Manchester United, or even teams in the Championship looking to implement positional play, Guardiola’s blueprint is seemingly everywhere.

What remains to be seen is whether the game in England will ever truly return to its ‘traditional’ roots, or whether Pep Guardiola’s legacy is now too deeply embedded in the country’s footballing fabric.

For better or worse, the influence of Manchester City’s treble-winning manager shows no signs of fading, and while some may fume, others see it as progress that redefined what is possible in English football.