New age of austerity: Guardiola, Tuchel and the case for the defence | Jonathan Liew

Despite all their luxury attacking players it is back-to-basics defending that has been key to Manchester City’s and Chelsea’s success this seasonSeveral epochs ago, back in the long-forgotten wilderness of October 2020, a good deal of airtime and column inches were expended on the curious deluge of high-scoring thrillers that had occurred in the first few rounds of the new Premier League season. Aston Villa put seven past Liverpool. Leicester put five past Manchester City. Jos&eacut