Pep Guardiola's ideal successor? Andoni Iraola is blazing a trail with Bournemouth with a 'modern' style of play - and he could be the right man to help Man City adapt to a new era

One of Bournemouth's most impressive wins in this remarkable campaign was when they became the first team in 11 months to beat Man City in the league. They only beat them 2-1 but Guardiola was in thrall to his side's victors, admitting his team could not live with the high-octane, lightning-quick Cherries.

"We couldn't match up to the intensity," he said. Iraola was also in no doubt that his side had deserved to win, remarking: "One thing is to beat City but another is to play better. We played with no fear."

Bournemouth will be aiming to replicate that performance when they host City in Sunday's FA Cup quarter-final tie, with a place at Wembley in the club's first ever FA Cup semi-final up for grabs.

Before City arrived at the Vitality Stadium in November they had won seven of their nine opening Premier League games and were top of the table. But the defeat sparked a shocking downward spiral of results, of six defeats and two draws in nine matches. And in January Guardiola seemed to be grappling with an existential question about the way football was heading. "Today, modern football is the way Bournemouth, Newcastle, Brighton and Liverpool play," the City manager told TNT Sports. "Modern football is not positional."

Guardiola's Barcelona led the possession-football revolution - also referred to as positional play - along with the all-conquering Spain team that had many of the same players. But this season some of the most successful teams in the Premier League are the ones that see the ball the least. Take Nottingham Forest, who have the lowest average possession in the league (39.5 percent) and yet are third in the table - six points better off City - and closing in on Champions League qualification for the first time.

City still lead the way in possession in the English top flight with 60.8% while runaway Premier League leaders Liverpool also love to have the ball, ranking third in the table with 57.2%. But several teams with high ball possession are having dire campaigns. Basement club Southampton, who have just nine points, rank 10th in the possession table. Tottenham are fourth in terms of possession but are 14th in the real table. Manchester United are seventh in the possession table and 13th in the one that matters, on course for their worst finish since 1990.

Bournemouth rank 15th in possession but are among the highest performers in the key metrics relating to fast attacks. The Cherries lead the league in counter-pressures, also ranking highest for shots following a high turnover (winning the ball within 40 metres of the opposition’s goal-line) and shots from transitions.

Bournemouth terrorised City in November with their fast breaks, even though their two goals came from slower build-up moves. They also demonstrated their power at counters in their recent 2-2 draw with Tottenham, when Milos Kerkez hared down the pitch from his own area and crossed for Marcus Tavernier to score. While City are renowned for their propensity to recycle possession and reset when they win the ball back, Bournemouth's first thought when retrieving it is to attack as fast as possible.

Iraola explained to Sky Sports recently: "The first thing we try to do when we recover the ball is play to the number nine. Because that is usually the moment when the opponent is less well positioned and you can find better spaces."

The game is heading in the same direction. According to Opta Analyst, this season has the highest proportion of all shots coming from fast breaks on record (10.2%), as well as the highest proportion of goals (7.1%). If City do not adapt to this new reality, then this harrowing season will cease to be an anomaly in their golden era and will be repeated. And in Erling Haaland they have the most formidable centre-forward in the world, one who would thrive in a more direct team.

Bournemouth are not just successful. Rather like Iraola's former club Rayo Vallecano, they are exhilarating to watch. And while City fans will forever be in debt to Guardiola for the success he has brought them, the uncomfortable truth is that many supporters get frustrated with their short-passing game and would like to see them adopt a faster, more exciting style of play.

Iraola began his playing career with Athletic Club just as Guardiola's era with Barcelona ended but he came up against him on a number of occasions when the Catalan was in the dugout. Barca won every single one of their meetings, including two Copa del Rey finals, but Iraola got his own back against Barca as a coach, when his Rayo Vallecano side did the double on them in their first season back in the top flight. In four La Liga games against Barca, Iraola won three and drew once.

And before the two men met as coaches for the first time in 2023, Guardiola said of Iraola: "In Spain he is one of the youngest managers that has a better future - and training in the Premier League is an incredible success for him." Iraola has not just made it to the Premier League, he has thrived there. And he is part of the new tactical vanguard.

One of Guardiola's greatest abilities is to spot an emerging trend in football and his City team have moved with the times, becoming more physical, more powerful. Indeed, one of the coach's wisest moves in recent years was to do away with traditional full-backs and field centre-backs like Josko Gvardiol and Nathan Ake in their place.

One of his biggest mistakes, though, was thinking that his team would be able to keep on winning with the same players. He owned up to that when he acknowledged he had resisted the club's offer to make more signings last summer, only bringing in Savinho and Ilkay Gundogan. "I relied a lot on these guys and thought I can do it again. But after the injuries - wow - maybe we should have done it."

But it is not just injuries that have held City back this season. Guardiola's squad has been getting older and older and less able to cope with the increased pace of the league. Bernardo Silva and Gundogan are the most striking examples of this while Kevin De Bruyne has seen his playing time limited by injuries and the physical wear and tear of a decade playing at the highest level.

City addressed their ageing squad by being very active in the January transfer window, significantly lowering the average age by signing Vitor Reis (19), Abdukodir Khusanov (21), Nico Gonzalez (23) and Omar Marmoush (25). That seemed to be a recognition that City needed younger, fresher legs to adapt to the league's shifting sands. They also might need a new style of play.

Liverpool have been so successful this season because they have managed to dominate possession while also being ruthless in transitions. They have the second highest number of shots from transitions, only behind Bournemouth, but have been more adept at taking their chances on the break. Arne Slot's side have scored 31 goals on the transition, 10 more than any other team in the league. They also lead the way when it comes to the proportion of their shots that have come from fast breaks (11%).

It is hard to imagine Guardiola abandoning possession football altogether given his background or indeed to picture City doing so as a club given that their academy players are schooled in positional play. Following Liverpool's blend of quick attacks with plenty of possession, then, seems to be the best way for them to attempt to reclaim their title next season and the path to follow in the long term.

Guardiola has been tested like never before this season but he has more than earned the right to have another crack at staging a resurgence next season. It also seems premature for Iraola to take such a significant jump. But if the current trend towards fast transitional play continues then Iraola would be the perfect candidate to take the baton from Guardiola in a year or two and ensure City are ahead of the curve in the Premier League's tactical shift.