Long throw key as EPL sides veer from Pep's doctrine

There have been few more influential coaches in English football than Pep Guardiola. Never mind the trophies, feel the sheer amount of his imitators, even if none have matched his success.

- John Brewin

Witness also the lack of goal kicks smashed to the halfway line by goalkeepers; just about every team play out from the back, as Guardiola’s key doctrines dictate.

Eventually even the most progressive coaches can find themselves swimming against the tide, and Guardiola’s Manchester City, so long a trendsetter, have become an outlier.

When it now appears that every team should have one, his squad does not include a long-throw specialist.

This season has seen a significant increase in the use of long throws. Where last term there was an average 1.52 a game, the new campaign has seen that rate more than double to 3.99.

Brentford muscle man Michael Kayode’s prowess has seen him compared to Rory Delap, employed by Stoke City manager Tony Pulis to bombard defences with his cross-like throws from the late 2000s to early 2010s.