'When Pep Guardiola came in and began to play the beautiful game, people thought it was the first time ever that teams had played football in England' Tony Pulis on the continuous cycle of football

Few figures in Premier League history have been as polarising as Tony Pulis.

The former Stoke City boss had one of the most clearly defined styles in football during his cap-wearing reign at the Britannia Stadium in the late 2000s and into the early 2010s, with the Potters’ brand of direct and physical play splitting opinion.

Some saw ‘Pulis Ball’ as a side playing to their strengths and an unapologetic way of getting results, while others - say, Arsene Wenger, for example - did not appreciate the rough and tumble style that Pulis’ players embraced.

The return of Pulis Ball

Pulis’ style would eventually go out of fashion, with the Welshman departing Stoke in 2013, but football is so often cyclical and after years of teams looking to emulate the style of Pep Guardiola, Pulis Ball is back in fashion.

“Man City have been absolutely fantastic and Pep is probably one of the most influential managers this country has ever seen,” Pulis tells FourFourTwo. “But when he came in and began to play the beautiful game, people thought it was the first time ever that teams had played football in England.

“Have a look at the 1961 and 1962 Tottenham teams though, the push and run team. Manchester United didn’t just kick it when they were winning all their trophies, and the great Liverpool teams were fantastic footballers.

“People talk about the centre-halves being able to manipulate a ball – Mark Lawrenson and Alan Hansen were unbelievable.

“People who aren’t as old as I am probably can’t remember that, they just saw one style of football go out, and Pep brought in a new style. What they didn’t know was before that, the other one went out and that style was in! Being away from it now, you can laugh a little.

“I like the forwards to see the ball more than the centre-halves and the goalkeeper. I like to see wingers taking their full-backs on, forwards connecting with the midfield players, crosses, shots going into the box. I like excitement in the final third.

“There’s more than one way to skin a cat and I have no problem with people saying they prefer the beautiful game, the two centre-halves having 90 per cent of the possession. If they see that as good football, brilliant. I don’t, but they do and I have no issue with that.

“Pep has been really influential, especially on young coaches, whether it’s academy football, or you can go down the park and see them passing it out as well, which is amazing really, compared to what it was like years and years ago. He’s brought a whole new dimension to the game, but now it’s turning again.

“It’s taken people time to recognise that you can play both ways. If the space is at the back, play at the back. What’s changed everything is that opponents have gone, ‘Right, if they’re going to play out from the back, we’ll go man-for-man and if we win the ball high up the pitch, the rewards are unbelievable.’

“So now teams think, ‘Well, if they’re going to press us, we’re just going to play forward where the space is.’ What’s the point of playing where 20 players are? Get it up there, miss what they call the press and play from there. It’s been good, but it’s the same thing spinning around from 30 years ago.”