On Guardiola’s Current State
Judging from Guardiola’s way of communicating with players, his smile, and his abundant energy, he is in excellent spirits at present. At the start of the season, he arranged for friends to gather to watch games and have a few drinks, which has always been a good sign.
Can this situation last? No one can say for sure. Last season, Guardiola faced issues such as squad problems, injuries, and poor player form, with no clear idea of how the team could respond. Even so, Manchester City’s finish in the top five of the league was still regarded as a remarkable achievement, almost equivalent to winning four Premier League titles.
Who Is Manchester City’s Most Important Signing This Season?
The answer is the coaching staff. Linders is neither a disciple of Guardiola like Arteta or Maresca, nor as close to him as Lillo or Domínguez.
Now, Guardiola has fewer worries in training, while Linders has brought a fresh dynamic to the team: their pressing ability has improved, with quicker reactions and more explosive intensity. What’s more, Linders dares to voice differing opinions to Guardiola, who enjoys the progress brought to the team by Linders and Kolo Touré.
On Guardiola’s Future
Guardiola has two seasons remaining on his contract with Manchester City, and once it expires, he will definitely not continue managing the club—nor will he manage any club at all. This is a certainty. Furthermore, there’s no guarantee he will even stay at Manchester City for the next two seasons.
On Manchester City’s Summer Signings
Guardiola is impressed with left-back Nouri, the Algerian international who likes to tuck inside and is also an excellent No. 10 player. Reinders can also fill Rodri’s role, though he excels more at breaking through opposition defenses with passes and possesses goal-scoring ability.
Manchester City’s goal this season is to compete for the title, unlike last season when they abandoned the title chase as early as January. It’s often said: “You must keep fighting for the title until March.” Failure isn’t about losing the league title in the final game, but about not giving your all in the closing months of the season to compete for it.
Manchester City have yet to find a specialist right-back, so Nunes, Stones, and Akanji will feature in that position. As for Rodri, barring injury setbacks, he will need at least two months to return to his best form, and there’s zero chance of him leaving Manchester City this summer.
On Ederson
As of yesterday, no club has made an offer for Ederson, but if one arrives, both the player and Manchester City will consider it seriously. Guardiola rates Donnarumma as one of the world’s top three goalkeepers, while Ortega is likely to be loaned out or transferred away.
On Grealish and Foden
Grealish had to leave Manchester City (he has joined Everton on loan); he needs to reflect on himself and clarify how much effort he’s willing to put in to reach his peak again. Foden has had a tough time lately—after all, it’s hard for young players to bear the pressure and external expectations.
While the pressure has driven Foden to work harder, he hasn’t made significant progress so far, and this lack of progress has left him anxious, creating a dilemma. However, this will also help him develop a mindset more resilient to setbacks.
