Man City's new back four makes them more dangerous than ever - ESPN

In his eternal quest for full control of football matches, Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola may well have found what can bring his team to the closest point to achieving his goal. Last season after a win over Brighton & Hove Albion at the Etihad, French broadcaster RMC asked if he was satisfied by the low expected goals (0.16) of his opponent.

«I am happy, but it can always be better,» Guardiola responded. «The objective is to give nothing to the opposition. No shot, no chance, nothing. To control everything. But, you know ...» The Catalan coach didn't finish his sentence, but made one of his usual faces as if to say, it is impossible to control everything.

It might be impossible, but he will never stop trying. Every evolution of his Man City team since he took over in the summer of 2016 has been geared towards control. Controlling the ball, controlling the tempo of the games, controlling the emotions, controlling the performances and controlling the opposition. Whether it was with a false No. 9, like in the Brighton game with Phil Foden serving as the attack's point of reference, or with a full-back coming inside to play in midfield, as Joao Cancelo did in that same Brighton game, Guardiola was always trying.

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He has come pretty close.

Guardiola is the greatest coach of his generation, among the greatest ever, and he continues to think, to tweak, to experiment. Now, the latest stage in his quest for control is what we have been seeing since March: a back four made up entirely of centre-backs, primarily Ruben Dias, John Stones, Manuel Akanji and Nathan Ake.

In terms of full-backs in the City squad, Oleksandr Zinchenko joined Arsenal last summer, Cancelo went to