Ten triumphs on the trot, eleven in total and a just a draw against Everton in the opening exchanges of the Premier League season is exactly the start to the new campaign Manchester City fans have been dreaming about.
Following a year during which he failed to win a trophy for the first time in his managerial career, Pep Guardiola grabbed his job by the scruff of the neck and is refusing to let go.
Manchester City are being transformed into the Barcelona of English football much to the delight of Citizens faithful who are not only revelling in their team’s results but also in their remarkable style of play.
Goals from Raheem Sterling and Gabriel Jesus made sure Manchester City see off a major threat at the Etihad on Tuesday night as their Italian counterparts – praised for their own impressive style and records – Napoli failed to match the Citizens’ grit and desire. It was the tenth straight victory in all competitions for Manchester City that serves as the biggest proof of Pep Guardiola’s influence at the Etihad.
The Overhaul
The frustrating 2016/17 season struck a nerve with the Spanish manager who made some deep cuts during the summer.
Long-serving first-team stars Pablo Zabaleta, Jesus Navas, Gael Clichy and Willy Caballero left the club on a free transfer, whereas Manchester City also parted ways with the likes of Aleksandar Kolarov, Samir Nasri, Fernando, Nolito, Wilfried Bony, Enes Unal and Kelechi Iheanacho.
Let’s not forget that Joe Hart also left the club albeit he still is on Manchester City’s books. Now at West Ham the English international goalkeeper is not expected to return to Etihad.
Having recognised the need for squad improvements, Manchester City boss showed no emotion. Determined to boost the squad and raise the squad quality Guardiola brought Benjamin Mendy, Kyle Walker and Danilo to form the impenetrable fortress in front of another summer arrival, former Benfica goalkeeper Ederson.
AS Monaco playmaker Bernardo Silva topped the list of arrivals Manchester City ended up sending £224.37 million on. The total expenditure tally should be reduced by £86.72 million gained by summer discount sales, however, but the club’s investment is already paying off.
Guardiola’s search for perfection turned out to be a costly affair and many could argue that such a whopping outlay should guarantee results. Still, the generation shift was something City were in great need of and the Etihad-based club now boasts a squad of 26.9 average age with future ahead of it which is enough of a justification of (over)spending.
The Most Notable Change
Having brought players to his own tactical liking, Pep Guardiola got himself a solid platform for change.
Former Barcelona and Bayern Munich boss is a man who likes possession-style football. His teams love to dictate the tempo and control the proceedings by putting plenty of pressure of the opposing side and saying it out loud is just stating the obvious.
The changes he made during summer only allowed him to get the best out of players he already had in his squad and – in case of Raheem Sterling and Fabian Delph – upgrading the level of their play.
Delph, Sterling and team’s biggest star Kevin De Bruyne are arguably the three brightest examples of Pep Guardiola’s direct influence at Manchester City.
Delph the Man
The forgotten midfielder Fabian Delph is starting to impose himself as a valuable first-team player. Midfielder by nature, the Englishman has been called into action to replace left-back Benjamin Mendy – a long-term injury victim for Manchester City.
Many eyebrows were raised with Guardiola’s decision to deploy Delph in a position he has never played before, but the 27-year-old has responded superbly. Delph’s pace and technical ability turned out to be a perfect fit for Guardiola’s system. Performing the full-back role with a heart of the midfielder allowed Delph to showcase his on-ball and passing ability to facilitate Manchester City’s transition.
Revitalised Raheem
Another English international who has largely struggled to truly prove his worth following arrival from Liverpool, Raheem Sterling is no longer a frustrated winger but a supreme poacher with a wide smile on his face, benefitting greatly from Pep Guardiola’s attack-oriented system.
Raheem Sterling has bagged eight goals in all competitions for Manchester City thus far, which makes him City’s joint leading scorer this term.
Sterling is closely following Guardiola’s instructions and is revelling in approved licence to roam. Manchester City boss likes to see his wingers play more centrally which – in response – has seen City’s frontline transform into a lethal department responsible for no less than 29 goals in eight matches in the Premier League.
That Boy De Bruyne
From a Chelsea reject to the best player in the league in Mark Hughes’ book, Kevin De Bruyne went a long way in a short period of time.
The Belgian midfielder is enjoying the best football of his life at Manchester City this year. His scintillating form has left no one indifferent and even the rivalling coaches and players are heaping praise on the City main man.
With already 100 appearances for Manchester City under his belt, Kevin De Bruyne has two goals and impressive 7 assists to his name this season already. Four of those seven De Bruyne recorded in his 100th City appearance against Stoke City, whereas he also added an assist in his team’s Champions League win last night.
His vision, creativity and pinpoint passing are the three things that make him such a valuable asset for Manchester City this season. Given all the freedom in the world to take responsibility and create magic out of nothing has done wonders for De Bruyne’s confidence.
Coaching the Key
Pep Guardiola now has all of the ingredients needed for success.
Doubters will have little to say after seeing the way Pep Guardiola led his team through last three matches – Chelsea, Stoke City and Napoli. The Spaniard took Citizens to new heights with his tactical genius that resulted in fluidity and beauty walking hand in hand with impressive effectiveness.
Guardiola’s players share their manager’s vision and City’s recent success is down to intense attacking, intricate passing and insatiable appetite for ball and goal.
The way they currently play makes 13/8 betting odds on over 4.5 goals against Burnely next weekend something of a sure bet.
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