Your Guardiolismo

The above graphic comes from the London broadsheet The Telegraph.

It charts the first-half of what the Spanish press later described as an "earthquake" suffered by Real Madrid at the hands of Manchester City in the UCL SF, 2nd Leg "thrashing".

Stats from the opening 45-minutes of this astonishing masterclass crown it as football from another planet.

• in the tone-setting first fifteen minutes, Real Madrid made only 13 successful passes, whereas City made 124
• when City scored their first goal (of four) in the 23rd minute, they had completed 196 passes to Madrid’s 30
• in the first thirty minutes, City enjoyed 29 attacks, to Real’s none
• during the first half City had 196 touches in the final third to Madrid's 10
• & not to forget that graphic subhead above, highlighting nine of the City players as having attempts on goal, compared to Real's solitary effort

The footballing Spanish are prone to talk about ideologies in the game. Whereas the Dutch perhaps pioneered such angle, with their talk of filosofie and Totaalvoetbal, the suffix -ism lends its treatment in vaunted cases. Which in español [when masculine] is -ismo [feminine, -isma].

These doctrines tend to follow the name of their founding coach.

Hence in honour of the Barcelona coaching revolutionary pair, the Johan to Pep baton sees Cruyffismo followed, surpassed maybe, by Guardiolismo. Enactment most bedazzling of 'the beautiful game'.

The match referenced here giving rise to renewed rounds of Guardiolismo analysis. Which saw a rendering of such roundly lauded as an almost perfection in the field.

I have before (in 2009, after a few frames of pool with a pal) asked us the question; What's Your -ism?.

In this sporting context, an ismo is something special. A pinnacle. That which takes the entire pursuit forward.

It stems from a proper noun.

So can be a person for us - maybe inventor, deliverer or crusader. Or name of a product or service, company or unit.

And is absolutely a compelling construct that people would want to buy into.

In which case; What's Your -ismo?