5 ways in which Guardiola has improved Manchester City
In January 2016, Manchester City had announced that after chasing and flirting for about 3 years, the object of their desire; Pep Guardiola had agreed to join the club as a replacement for Chilean Manuel Pellegrini.
In the two and half seasons since he has been in Manchester, Guardiola has completely changed the team from a band of players loosely put together at great cost, to an efficient, entertaining team that looks set to be at the top for a long time. The Spaniard has looked at home at the Etihad Stadium and looks set to stay there for a long time (something he has never done in his career).
The team’s effervescence, attitude and breathtaking football thrilled the Premier League last season and they have started the 2018/2019 season like a house on fire.
Here is a look at how Guardiola has gone about delivering on his remit of making the Citizens a powerhouse:
#5 He has improved the players he met
When the Catalan genius took over at the Etihad in 2016, he met a huge problem. The City side he inherited was one that was in decline with the oldest average age (30.5) in the league.
While there were still talented players in the team, the lack of a defined style of play and the issues with age made them look hapless and undynamic in Pellegrini's last two seasons at the club.
Pep came in and has revitalized some players he met, and they have gone on to become important members of the team. Before Guardiola's arrival, Raheem Sterling had looked like a lost boy, David Silva no longer looked capable to delivering, Yaya Toure had slowed down badly, Nicolas Otamendi was a joke and Fabian Delph barely played for the team.
It took a while but last season, Sterling really took off to show why £50m was spent to get him in from Liverpool. Otamendi was voted as one of the best defenders in the league, Silva rediscovered the magic of old and has once again become Merlin. Meanwhile Delph became an auxiliary left back (due to Benjamin Mendy's injury) and did so well that he made England's World Cup squad.