'Adapt Or Complain': Pep Guardiola Fires Back As 'Set Piece FC' Tag Sparks Debate

Last Updated:March 03, 2026, 21:08 IST

Guardiola urges teams to adapt to the growing influence of set pieces in the Premier League, comparing the trend to basketball styles of the Warriors and Celtics.

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has urged teams to “adapt" rather than complain about the growing influence of set pieces in the Premier League.

Pep’s comments come after Liverpool boss Arne Slot suggested they were draining some of the “joy" out of the competition.

Arsenal’s dominance from dead-ball situations has even earned them the tongue-in-cheek tag of “Set Piece FC," with several clubs now borrowing from their playbook.

Speaking on Tuesday ahead of City’s clash with relegation-threatened Nottingham Forest, Guardiola made his stance clear.

“It’s part of the dynamics, and you can complain (but) you have to adapt, and it’s part of the game," he said.

The Spaniard — long associated with fluid, possession-based football — admitted he agreed with Slot “in some aspects," but stressed that stylistic variety is what makes the sport compelling.

“Football has not been played in one way since it was created," Guardiola said. “So the football played in England is different from Spain, it’s different in Italy… and that’s nice.

“That’s why the Champions League is nice, different ways, even in that country, every manager plays in a different way.

“So it’s nice, that’s why it’s so attractive. How boring would it be if all the managers and all the leagues played in the same way?

“So if I like or don’t like, it’s my business. If I don’t like, I don’t watch as a spectator, but it is what it is, I have to adapt. It’s a question of how quickly you adapt."

City head into the Forest match on a six-game winning streak in all competitions and sit five points behind leaders Arsenal with a game in hand.

“The last 10 games now start to be decisive," Guardiola said. “Two Premier League games before the international break — we are five behind Arsenal, so we can’t drop points."

(with AFP inputs)

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