AFCON 2025
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has acknowledged that set-pieces are once again a major threat in the Premier League, joking that many games now feel reminiscent of facing Tony Pulis’s famous Stoke City side.
Guardiola’s comments come as statistics show that nearly 19 percent of all goals scored across the division have originated from corners—a figure almost five percent higher than any other recent season.
The City boss noted the aggressive way opponents are using all dead-ball situations to attack. “It’s true that people use every throw-in like a corner and put 10 players there in the box,” Guardiola said.
He highlighted recent examples to illustrate his point: “We suffered when we played at Brentford, or look at Brentford against Liverpool, which we saw in our hotel, every action (Michael) Kayode put in the box. And Kayode was the man of the match.”
Pep Guardiola reminisces about Tony Pulis' Stoke City and Rory Delap's long throw-ins 😅
"I remember I was in Barcelona or Bayern Munich, I listened to Arsene Wenger talk about going and playing Stoke City. But now it happens a lot of times." pic.twitter.com/9KK2RlUMKy
— Hayters TV (@HaytersTV) October 28, 2025
Guardiola stressed that while the tactic isn’t new, its prevalence is increasing, recalling past masters of the set-piece game.
“Today, set pieces are a threat. I remember a long time ago with Sean Dyche in Burnley. Burnley were an incredible threat in the long balls, second balls. Dyche is one of the best by far at doing these kinds of aspects. It’s not new; he did it before. Or Sam Allardyce,” he remarked.
He concluded with the nostalgic comparison: “Or I remember when I was not here, Stoke City. Do you remember Stoke City when they made the throws? Now it’s just more and more teams doing that, but back then, maybe Stoke was the exception.
“I remember when I was at Barcelona and Bayern Munich, Arsene Wenger talked about going to play at Stoke City, but now it happens a lot of times.”
