So this is it then…the big moment…four years in the making… our two Spanish men have finally delivered the man they've wanted since day one and now he's here! Clad in Stone Island (real…presumably), the man whose both heralded as the greatest club manager of all time whilst simultaneously chided for being unproven is about to take charge of gods own team for the first time. Welcome Pep Guardiola'
It's been a long summer and pre-season was uninteresting to say the least, with four different matches played in four different countries as City lost to Pep’s former club Bayern in Munich, beat Borussia Dortmund on penalties in China, beat St. Johnstone 3-0 in Manchester and lost 3-2 to Arsenal in Gothenburg.
The club needs to get that local away at a small provincial club back in the calendar, somewhere like Wigan or Bolton! Sadly instead, with the Euro’s and injuries, along with Premier League clubs desire to extract every penny overseas most players will be using the first league games to find match fitness potentially putting Champions League qualification at risk.
On the transfer front City didn’t mess about as they signed Ilkay Gundogen from Dortmund for £20m, Nolito from Celta Vigo for £13.8m, Leroy Sane from Schalke for £37m, Gabriel Jesus from Palmeiras for £27m, Marlos Moreno from Atletico Nacional for £4.75m and finally, the big one, John Stones from Everton for £47.5m much to the scorn of...well...everyone apparently.
In Gundogen, City bolstered a midfield in need of fresh blood and mobility, so of course they signed a lad whose out until September, but a player who comes with huge pedigree and should be a huge lift when Derby Day comes around. Gabriel Jesus and Moreno were duly sent straight back on loan to their respective clubs as the former will only arrive in the January transfer window; the press played their part in highlighting a chance he missed as Brazil could only draw 0-0 in the Olympics so it’ll give him a few months to get acclimatised to the media agenda around City. Both come heralded with massive potential, as well as big price tags, but it’s always a risk signing players direct from South America but the list of suitors for both shows already the pull of working under Pep has.
At 29, and not coming from one of Spain’s big three clubs, it’s way too easy to make comparisons to either Alvaro Negredo and Jesus Navas, who both arrived at City late in their careers and with varying effectiveness throughout their time wearing sky blue. As everyone reading will remember Negredo started like a house on fire firing in goal after goal until an injury in the second leg of the semi-final of the League cup robbed him of his momentum before apparent home sickness saw him return to Spain after just one season. As for Navas, blinding speed met with all too frequent lack of end product has quickly made him an easy target for the fans, sometimes without merit but increasingly with it. However, following spells with Barcelona and Benfica, Nolito found form at Celta bagging 39 times in 100 league games and as a left winger will finally bring some much needed balance to City for the first time since Mark Kennedy was sold to Wolves!
One could argue that the ‘transfer saga’ of the summer was the will he/won’t he pursuit of John Stones with City apparently balking at the prospect of paying Everton’s £50m price tag. As always with things like Champions League squad deadlines, and with the mass influx of Premier League TV money into the league, it’s a seller’s market and Everton held their nerve as City successfully bartered down to…eh...£47.5m.
Of course, City being City were accused of dropping a gaff with the Stones signing as uefa.com ‘accidentally’ leaked his signing by including him in City’s Champions League squad leading many to spout off as City being arrogant, of putting the cart before the horse and that no deal was actually done. That line might have sold plenty of Liverpool Echo’s for a couple of hours but the most converted centre back in English football duly arrived the following day.
Finally, arguably the most exciting signing is the arrival of Leroy Sané from Schalke. I say arguably as the only time I’ve seen him play was on that blisteringly cold day when the U19s opened the Academy Stadium on the morning of a Premier League tie. I’d love to tell you that I he stood out and gave a support account of himself despite his sides early capitulation but it was so cold I, like everyone else, was just focussing on staying alive!
So we’ve gone out spent heavily in the transfer window to the point where Liverpool and Arsenal fans will be cooing about the dreaded ‘net spend’ as if spunking all your Suarez money on 8 lads from Eastern Europe is a noble socialist achievement! What we know about Pep is that he’s got a core belief in the way his side plays; press from the front, movement in triangles, play from the back, work hard…all the time and for me that's the bit I'm most excited about and I'm hoping we've signed the players to achieve it.
How They’ll Line Up
On the injury front both Vincent Kompany and new signing Ilkay Gundogen are out until September, eliminating them and it’s hard to see how much involvement the lads who went deep in the Euro’s will have. Yes I’m being kind on Mangala there! Mancity.com has also confirmed that Sane will miss out through injury
Rumours continue about Joe Hart’s future at Manchester City to the point where the club are no refusing to answer any questions about it. No the Champions League squad has gone in it limits Pep’s scope as he won’t want to play a goalkeeper that’s not going to play two games against Steaua. There’s no question that Hart didn’t have a great Euro’s, not like the lads in front of him had a much better one, but he’s still a top class keeper, a top pro who always strives to win, and under a new goalkeeping coach I won’t be persuaded he’s not one of the best three in the Premier League. As for Willy, I'm hoping Angus Gunn takes over as number 2.
The defence on Saturday is going to be interesting who may or may not be available. The centre back partnership is looking a little more respectable should Stones come in replace the genuinely frightening Kolarov at centre back. Presumably that leaves Nicolas Otamendi as the only other fit senior centre back in the football club with Jason Denayer presumably having been trapped in a CFA broom cupboard for the last month with no-one able to find the key. Clichy and Sagna should make up our back four but I’m hoping that someone see’s sense and gets at least one more full back in before the end of the window.
In midfield things are a little less complicated because of the injuries to Gundogen, Sane and a snapchat video of Sami Nasri that seems to be accelerating his exit. Even in this Chinese Super League inflated market we still couldn’t part with Yaya Toure so I can only imagine his lumbering presence in the middle of the park with Fernandinho desperately trying to cover for him in all quarters of the pitch. I just hope that Yaya’s motivated rather than threatened by the prospect of working with Pep a second time.
In front of them, and I’m going to say something controversial now, but if everyone was fit I’d suggest that there would be no room for David Silva in a Pep starting XI. With Pep’s insistence on the high press and having taken years of kickings up and down the country I genuinely fear that Dave’s best days might be gone. Please let me be wrong. However I’m predicting an attacking three of Nolito, Silva and Kevin De Bruyne with Silva retaining his place behind Sergio until Sané returns from injury. Long term I hope that Pep learns from Pellegrini’s mistake with his insistence of playing Kevin in his less affective position on the wing. If he can keep Sergio fit, Kevin will slot in nicely behind him and should Sterling ever return to from you’ve got a strong front four of Sané, De Bruyne, Sterling, Aguero that can be effective off the ball whilst devastating on the ball.
Sunderland
Oh yeah, Sunderland, so after attaining respectability under Sam Allardyce at the end of last season ‘Big Sam’ swiftly said ‘do one’ as the England job came calling and the Black Cats duly reverted to type by bringing in David Moyes. The Black Cats policy of signing ex-United, Irish or both promptly went full swing as Donald Love, Paddy McNair and Adnan Januzaj followed him with Felliani probably not far behind.
With Bobby Madeley in charge it’s got all the makings of a Moyes hatchet job.
Prediction
People have asked me all summer what I think of Pep and his signings and my genuine answer is…I don’t know. I said that last season, City were the best team and if they played to their best every week they’d win the league. Sadly after the first five games the best of City was fleeting but the principle still applies.
Let’s be positive City 4-0 Sunderland and some new heroes to get behind.
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