The Sky Blues are showing their ambition to all of Europe as they look to pre-emptively fend off interest in their most important names.
Guardiola has signed a two-year extension, De Bruyne should extend his contract by the New Year while Man City Central sources report that Sterling will be offered a new deal in 2021 which should see his terms with the club take him past his 31st birthday.
The former Liverpool winger had 41 goal contributions in 52 games last season and while his productivity hasn’t been on the same level this season, there is no doubt his form has just taken a temporary dip.
The departure of Leroy Sane has further highlighted his importance to the Etihad side and while Kevin De Bruyne is undoubtedly the most talented player at the club, his value to Pep Guardiola does not go unnoticed.
If City are going to win any major trophies this season, with the Champions League still proving elusive, Sterling’s goalscoring form is hugely important.
Sterling is still yet to reach his peak for Man City and a contract extension guarantees that his golden years will be spent with the Lancashire side.
Manchester City are closing in on a Kevin De Bruyne contract renewal after a renewal for Pep Guardiola was announced yesterday, sources close to Man City Central report.
His signature is arguably more valuable than that of any potential target the Cityzens might have and yet the Manchester City board are not standing still, congratulating themselves but rather working hard on handing a new contract to the second most important person at the club.
Kevin De Bruyne.
Last season might have been one of major disappointment for Manchester City but the personal accomplishments of De Bruyne didn’t go unnoticed as he won the PFA Players’ Player of the Year after his 29 Premier League goal contributions.
City are now acting fast, according to Man City Central sources, and will look to announce a renewal of De Bruyne’s contract before 2020 is over which might be one of the very few positives to come from a long and trying year.
His current deal expires in 2023 but City want to extend his deal until 2025 which, if he stayed for its duration, would see him leave as a 34-year-old.
Securing his services for another four years would be a real sign of ambition from a side that hasn’t quite been at its glittering best over the last year.
The Stockport-born star is Manchester City’s best ever academy graduate and despite his age, it’s clear that he will be one of the best players in the Premier League in a few years’ time.
Currently earning £25,000 per week, our sources suggest that a new offer from Man City will see his wages triple to £75,000 a week as a reward for his performances since Project Restart.
In 84 appearances for the Cityzens, Foden has 18 goals and 14 assists which were scored mostly as a teenager. There is no doubt that once he has more experience, he will be a starter for City.
His versatility has been crucial for Guardiola as he is able to play on either wing, down the middle or behind the striker, meaning his Spanish manager has several tactical options to consider when introducing him from the bench or as a starter.
While City are yet to make their offer, officials at the club are understood to be confident that Foden will accept the offer which will extend his terms to 2026 and triple his basic wage by 200%.
Foden, along with Manchester United’s Mason Greenwood, has been involved in controversy this year after the two young footballers broke government rules over social distancing when they invited girls into their hotel room during their international commitments with the England national team.
The Man City star, however, has since put his head down and avoided drama since the incident which, predictably, the media blew out of proportion.
Pranav Ravindrannair argues that Pep Guardiola will do well to learn from his nemesis Jurgen Klopp.
Manchester City and Pep Guardiola lost more than just the Premier League title last season. Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool proved to be a constant thorn in City’s side and also put an end to the myth of their invincibility.
Fast forward to the current season and City look far more vulnerable than they have ever been under their celebrated Catalan manager. In fact, this is their worst start to a Premier League season since 2014.
It would appear that the days of where City beat their opponent even before a ball was played are a thing of the past. The opposition have now begun to take the game to their opponents and so far, the Citizens have looked susceptible.
Last week’s 1-1 draw with West Ham was just another example of that. The Hammers side got stuck into City and made them pay early on as Mikhail Antonio scored. Guardiola’s side controlled possession and even created more chances. But they lacked that control they have often shown while putting teams out of their misery.
Stars such as Kevin de Bruyne and Sergio Aguero look as hungry as ever. The team as a whole however appears to lack that killer instinct.
While injuries to key players can be attributed as a reason, the summer signings have done little to instil any fear factor within the oppositions.
A downgrade in transfers!
City lost two match-winners in David Silva and Leroy Sane in the summer. While the former was nearing the end of his career, the latter was clearly yet to hit his peak.
An impactful player, Sane had the ability to flip a game on its head. While Ferran Torres is a decent player, he does not inspire the same amount of fear that his German counterpart did.
The same can be said for Nathan Ake and Ruben Dias. Both players came in for big money and are also accomplished centre-backs in their own right. However, do they instil fear in an opposition attack? Probably not. Are they a like for like replacement for Vincent Kompany? Far from it.
While not that dire, City could be making the same mistake their city rivals did towards the end of Sir Alex Ferguson’s stint. United’s attempted to replace the likes of their stars with considerably inferior players.
The likes of Antonio Valencia, Phil Jones, and Chris Smalling are decent players. But expecting them to replicate the success of Cristiano Ronaldo, Rio Ferdinand, and Nemanja Matic is asking too much.
The burden of expectation could be too much for some players to bear and City appears to be heading down the same route.
A slight deviation can be seen in their efforts to gradually replace Fernandinho with Rodri. While the Spaniard has impressed, the Brazilian is still clearly the better player.
A self-introspection needed
Last season brought to the fore a number of weaknesses in the City squad. The defence was exposed while the attack in the absence of Aguero lacked that clinical edge. With the Argentine now joining Gabriel Jesus on the sidelines, Guardiola has to improvise with what he has got.
It is not a familiar position for a manager who has had a bountiful of riches both on and off the field. Stints at both Barcelona and Bayern Munich were richly laden with trophies, but he also had at his disposal, some of the best players in the world.
Their ability intermixed with Guardiola’s precisely thought out tactics made them a force to be reckoned with. The style has however not varied much in all this time.
Square pegs in circular holes!
Smart in possession and playing out from the back, Guardiola’s teams have a predictable albeit effective style of play. There is only so much an arguably flawless system can accomplish if it does not make use of the players’ strengths.
An example of this can be seen in Nicolas Otamendi’s struggles at the back. The Argentine is not a bad defender, far from it. But forcing him into a template that urges him to play out from the back was always going to be asking for trouble.
After a decade of dominating football wherever he has gone, Guardiola could be in need of a tactical shift. Rather than promote his ideology of the perfect game, the Catalan tactician should look to bring in a system that gets the best out of the players. Not the other way around.
Guardiola will do well to reinvent himself as much as he tries to rebuild his squad. Filling in a jigsaw with pieces from another puzzle could cover the gaps, but will distort the image you are looking to flesh out.
Learning from one’s rival!
The City boss’s solution could lie with his greatest nemesis. No other manager has quite gotten under Guardiola’s skin as Jurgen Klopp. The German has time and again thwarted Guardiola while having to do without the resources made available to his rival.
Similar to Guardiola, Klopp too was known for his unique style of football. While Gegenpressing worked well for Liverpool, it was not enough to see them over the line. The German was willing to abandon his ideology and come up with a style that benefitted the team at his disposal.
An example of this was when he was forced to sell Philippe Coutinho. Rather than bring in a like for like replacement, Klopp tweaked his system to create a ferocious front three capable of troubling the best in world football.
An opportunity was borne out of crisis and Klopp embraced it. Guardiola will need to do the same. The City boss is not infallible and he will need to shoulder some of the blame that comes his team’s way.
The same can be said as to how Klopp incorporates new players into his team. The likes of Andy Robertson and Fabinho spent months familiarizing themselves with the system before betting their chance. It is fair to say that the approach has worked wonders.
Interestingly Liverpool find themselves in a defensive crisis this season, similar to what City experienced last time around. City struggled to replace an injured Aymeric Laporte last season. One has to ask if they were wise to approach it as they did.
Rather than replace Laporte, they should have restructured themselves to get the best out of who they had available. Klopp faces a similar decision this time around with Virgil van Dijk possibly out for the season.
How he reacts to it over the next few months remains to be seen. If he succeeds where Guardiola fails, it would further cement the German’s superiority over the City boss.
Guardiola will have to react or risk getting left behind. The current ’mini-crisis’ has given him the ideal opportunity to restructure his tactics. Whether he takes it or not remains to be seen.
The City boss has been a trendsetter for much of the last decade. Stepping back into the student’s shoes could do him a world of good.
It’s an uncomfortable question that no one has wanted to answer at Manchester City; how do you replace Sergio Aguero?
He has been the most consistent goalscorer in the Premier League for almost the last decade. Blessed with strength, pace, positional intelligence and a cannon of a strike, he is almost the perfect striker.
Having initially struggled to adapt to Pep Guardiola’s system, he has become one of the team’s most important players.
However, injuries have taken their toll over recent years. Since November 24 2019, the Argentine has missed 25 matches for Manchester City.
Now aged 32, and with injuries starting to mount up, a younger model needs to be thought about. But who could possibly adapt to Manchester City’s demands and Aguero’s legacy?
Erling Haaland
An obvious place to start maybe, but it’s difficult to look past the young Norwegian. His goal scoring record is quite frankly silly. In 26 appearances for Borussia Dortmund since his arrival in January, he has scored 23 goals as well as laying on six assists. He is a physical monster, standing at six foot four.
However, terrifyingly to go with his massive stature, he is blessed with lightning pace as well.
His shooting is not scattergun by any means either. His shots found the target 53% of the time last season in the Bundesliga. By contrast, Aguero’s only found the target 34% of the time in the Premier League.
There is an element to Haaland’s game he’d have to work on however, his passing. Since joining Borussia Dortmund, his passing accuracy sits at 73%, with 21.5 passes attempted per game.
Meanwhile, the Argentine has averaged 82% pass success, over the past four seasons, averaging 22 passes per 90. However, with his goal-scoring record, it’s hard to see him being passed over.
Lautaro Martinez
You already have a strong as a bull, Argentine striker, why not get another one? The 23-year-old has been a revelation alongside Romelu Lukaku at Inter Milan.
He’s not the finisher Sergio Aguero is, but since the start of last season, he’s averaging over a goal per game. He’s also performing at a similar level to his expected goals, with an XG of 0.53 per 90, scoring 0.54 per 90.
He has a similar shooting accuracy statistic to his countryman as well, with 34% of his shots over the last two seasons hitting the target. One thing that does represent something of an issue, is his use in a two striker system.
Guardiola has quite often played with his formation but has very rarely played with two traditional strikers. Now, this is not to say he can’t adapt to Guardiola’s system. However, he will need to adapt quickly if he is to take up the mantle of being Aguero’s replacement.
Gabriel Jesus
It’d be disrespectful not to look at Gabriel Jesus as a possible solution to Manchester City’s problems.
The young Brazilian burst onto the scene at Manchester City after his move from Palmeiras. However, he has gone under the radar since then. Warming the bench more often than not, and not able to push the veteran Argentine out of his place.
However, on inspection, maybe despite not being able to start many matches, his statistics are promising. Last season, he averaged 0.62 goals per 90 in the Premier League. He also has a higher shot accuracy than his teammate, with 42% of his shots finding the target. At 23 years of age, he has plenty of room for improvement. Meanwhile, he has already adapted to Manchester City’s system, with no adaptation period required.
It will no doubt be difficult to replace Aguero. His leadership, his goals, his sheer presence on the pitch. However, it is a task Manchester City need to be ready to face. If they don’t, their status as a juggernaut in English football could well be under threat.
Manchester City host Porto for their first game of the 2020/21 Champions League campaign, with Porto visitors for the fixture.
After returning to winning ways against Arsenal, Pep Guardiola and his players will be keen to put back to back victories together for the first time this season after Leicester City and Leeds United took points off them before the international break.
Aguero’s return to fitness is a major plus for the Mancunians as the Argentinian’s experience and finishing will be hugely important in what could prove to be a tricky home game in Europe.
Ake, Laporte and Fernandinho are all missing with respective injuries so Eric Garcia will start alongside newcomer Ruben Dias at the heart of Manchester City’s defence as plays in Europe for the first time as a Blue.
Man City starting XI: Ederson, Walker, Dias, Garcia, Cancelo; Rodri, B. Silva, Gundogan; Mahrez, Aguero, Sterling.
Manchester City will look to get back to winning ways in the Premier League with a victory over Arsenal after losing to Leicester City and drawing with Leeds United in their last two games.
The international break provided Manchester City and Liverpool time to digest their odd starts to the season.
The Blues go into their clash with Arsenal off the back off a loss and a draw while the Reds are reeling from a shocking 7-2 defeat at the hands of Aston Villa.
Arsenal have nine points from the available 12 this season, their only loss coming against Liverpool but with Kevin De Briuyne missing this weekend, they will fancy their chances of causing an upset at the Etihad.
City haven’t been their explosive selves this season but with Aguero coming back into the side and Raheem Sterling slowly stepping up a gear, they should have enough to overcome Arteta’s Gunners.
Man City XI: Ederson, Cancelo, Ake, Dias, Walker, Rodri, Foden, Silva, Mahrez, Sterling, Aguero.
Manchester City face Leeds United tomorrow before the squad splits up to head out on the international break with their respective countrymen.
Heading into the fixture at Elland Road, the visitors are in 13th place after being thrashed 5-2 by Brendan Rodgers’ Leicester City side, with Jamie Vardy netting a hattrick.
Pep Guardiola will be able to welcome Ruben Dias into the fold after the Portuguese signed a long-term contract with the Blues, with Manchester City paying Benfica £64.3m to sign their 6 ft. 1 centre half.
Guardiola has been effusive in his praise for Bielsa in the build-up to the game, telling reporters at his pre-match press conference: “I think he’s (Bielsa) is probably the person I admire the most in world football as a manager and as a person.
“I think he is the most authentic manager all the time in terms of how he conducts his teams, he is unique. No one can imitate him, it’s impossible.
“My teams won more titles than him, but in terms of knowledge of the game, I am away from him. It is a good present, a good gift to have him in the PL.
“His teams are a joy to watch, how honest they are, and they always try to produce good football for spectators. It’s good to have him here.”
City are looking to bounce back after their defeat against Leicester, with Guardiola handing Dias a first start for the club while Ferran Torres will also start again for the Cityzens.
Man City starting XI: Ederson, Mendy, Laporte, Dias, Walker, Rodrigo, De Bruyne, Foden, Sterling, Mahrez, Torres.
Manchester City will soon open negotiations with Benfica after identifying Ruben Dias as a key defensive target, according to sources close to Man City Central.
It’s clear that Napoli will not part ways with Kalidou Koulibaly unless director of football Txiki Begiristain demolishes the £80m world-record transfer fee paid for a defender set by Manchester United when they bought Harry Maguire from Leicester City.
The Cityzens have ruled Koulibaly out as a target and have now identified Dias as a priority despite already signing Nathan Ake from relegated Bournemouth and have allocated up to £65m for negotiations.
Ever since Vincent Kompany left the club, City have been suspect at the back and have been carried by their incredible attack and it was their issues at the back that caused them to lose nine games last season; six more than eventual champions Liverpool.
While City are keen on signing Dias, they are unwilling to pay anything close to what Liverpool paid for Virgil van Dijk, with the Reds initially setting a £75m record for a fee paid for a defender.
The Blues are also prepared to sell Benfica as a way of countering the cost of securing Dias’ services.
Manchester City’s rejected bid for Sevilla’s Jules Kounde will be followed by a bid of intent to sign Dias, with the Mancunians confident of signing the Portugal international.
Tottenham are also interested but if it comes down to the player, the Etihad is his preferred destination.
If he signs on the dotted line for Man City, our sources claim that the 20-year-old will earn £200,000/week, increasing his earnings by 122.2%. Manchester City’s ability to offer players more than other clubs has seen them attract massively talented players to the club over the years.
The club is expecting to finalize Torres’ move to the Etihad in the next week with the Blues close to agreeing a £21m deal with Valencia.
Leroy Sane’s move to Bayern Munich means that Pep Guardiola has lost a key player in attack and while there is no telling if Torres will be a success in the Premier League, his talent should sign through under the guidance of his experienced manager.