The Catalan did not come up with the idea of defending from the front but there are few coaches better-placed to explain its subtleties
Maybe it was the wording of the question that provoked Pep Guardiola into giving a detailed explanation of the differences between conventional defending and how his Manchester City side do things.
In a recent press conference it was put to him that he is “not just the best attacking coach, but the best defensive coach, too”.
He sensed an opportunity to set a few things straight: “Normally you have the mental approach that you defend well when you defend so deep,” he explained.