How Guardiola found his best Man City XI

How Guardiola found his best Man City XIImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Pep Guardiola, Pep Lijnders and Kolo Toure have arrived at a system that suits Manchester City's playersByUmir IrfanFootball tactics correspondentPublished3 minutes agoPep Guardiola has an uncanny ability to time his season right.Like a long-standing sitcom, much of Guardiola's Manchester City career follows the same story arc: a bright September before his side begin to struggle. As fans and pundits begin to predict City's downfall, Guardiola tinkers with his squad before a long winning streak results in his club being crowned Premier League champions.Whether that storyline plays out at the end of this season is yet to be seen but Guardiola has finally landed on a system he trusts for the run-in. Getting here, however, hasn't been easy.Manchester City v SouthamptonFA Cup semi-finalSaturday, 25 April at 17:15 BSTWembleyWatch on iPlayerListen on SoundsWatch live on BBC One and BBC iPlayer and listen on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra and BBC Sounds (both UK users only). Follow both and live text commentary on the BBC Sport website and app. Gameweek oneImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Manchester City started the season with a 4-0 win at WolvesOf the team that started last Sunday's win over Arsenal, only three started their opening league match on 16 August – Erling Haaland, Jeremy Doku and captain Bernardo Silva.City won 4-0 against now relegated Wolves. The key differences then were that Rico Lewis and Rayan Ait-Nouri moved in-field from their full-back positions to support Nico Gonzalez while Silva moved into a more attacking midfield position alongside Tijjani Reijnders.Out of possession, City pressed high. Doku and Oscar Bobb defended close to Haaland, but that often left Wolves' full-backs free.That detail would become important. Across the season, City would repeatedly tweak their defensive structure as opponents found various ways to find the spare ma...