Pep Guardiola, the manager of Manchester City, has been charged with emulating a strategy that Sir Alex Ferguson employed at Manchester United.
According to Graeme Souness, Pep Guardiola has imitated a classic Sir Alex Ferguson strategy as Manchester City tries to catch up to Arsenal. The legendary player for Liverpool claims that the City manager’s handling of Kevin De Bruyne is comparable to what his fellow Scot did at Manchester United.
De Bruyne recently received criticism from Guardiola, who said the Belgian player needed to improve, much to the dismay of those with Manchester City tickets. He stated he must start to do the easy things again after being left out of his team on a handful of occasions of late.
Erling Haaland, too, was urged to be “better” by Guardiola. In retaliation, the Norwegian scored five goals against RB Leipzig, and for the second leg of their Champions League round of 16 matches, De Bruyne was again in excellent form.
Souness thinks Guardiola is deliberately pushing his best players harder to raise the bar for everyone else on the team. According to him, Ferguson used to do that at United with players like David Beckham and Ryan Giggs.
De Bruyne has been City’s top player for the past five years, Souness wrote in The Mail. He hasn’t, however, participated in a few crucial games this season.
“He didn’t start, for instance, when City lost to Spurs in February, and I was there. Strange. And now Guardiola has publicly dug him out a bit. This past week, he advised De Bruyne to resume doing the straightforward things effectively.”
“I have some ideas as to why this occurred. It can be an intentional strategy to inspire the entire group.”
Gavi for Bernardo?
If Gavi is included in the deal, Manchester City might be open to letting their great midfielder Bernardo Silva join Barcelona. Let alone those with Manchester City tickets; everyone is a fan of Gavi.
According to a rumour by Fichajes, Manchester City want Gavi to let Bernardo Silva join Barcelona in the summer. Before the upcoming season, City is interested in using the 18-year-old’s services, and they would be prepared to let their star midfielder leave to acquire the Spanish international.
Since the summer of 2015, Gavi has been a member of the Barcelona youth academy. At 18, he advanced through the club’s ranks to become one of its key players.
The international from Spain has already made 83 appearances for the Catalan powerhouses and contributed to 15 goals. The 18-year-old has seven goal-related contributions in 36 games so far this season.
Although he is untouchable in the Barcelona system, his senior team contract has a few wrinkles. He needs help being registered by Barcelona’s first team, and that might be the only explanation for his leaving.
City know the circumstance and that Xavi wants Bernardo Silva to join their team, and they see it as a chance for a Gavi and Silva direct exchange arrangement. In exchange for the 18-year-old, City will be delighted to let their 28-year-old midfielder join Barcelona.
Silva departed Monaco for City in the summer of 2017. Since his arrival, he has been one of the club’s most crucial players in Manchester, winning over everyone with Manchester City tickets. Pep Guardiola has counted on the Portugal international to perform in pivotal games. And Silva has never let him down.
The 28-year-old has stated that he wants to move to Barcelona from City. He aspires to play for the Catalan titans. But, City will not accept less than €80 million for his sale. Yet, Barcelona cannot spend a fortune to sign Silva because of their financial difficulties.
Yet, until and unless the Catalan giants omit Gavi from the first team, the transaction isn’t justified. They might let the 18-year-old leave for City and sign Silva in exchange only if they cannot register him.
City’s possible summer strategy
Pep Guardiola stated that the summer transfer window would see City hunt for a different kind of player, giving more and more hope to those with Manchester City tickets.
This season, the team’s unwillingness to transition has been brought up multiple times by the management. He has chosen to bolster his defence with centre-backs since the World Cup, starting four of them in recent triumphs against Crystal Palace and RB Leipzig. Despite their success playing in this way, Guardiola told journalists on Friday that the Blues will be trying to recruit the kind of individuals they still need to get.
The full-back is an obvious position to look at, given that Ben Mendy’s contract eventually expired in the summer and Joao Cancelo had gone on loan to Bayern Munich.
The decision to keep Sergio Gomez in the starting lineup as a left-back alternative rather than loan him out has yet to be very fruitful.
The manager of City indicated that adding more variety to the squad is “essential for the future” after describing the defensive improvements City have had to make.
“We start with a beautiful three that fits the players we have wonderfully,” he remarked. “We cannot play like 95% of teams do, with full-backs wide across the field for the entire 90 minutes.
For now, we have insufficient players to do this.”
“Oh my God, we don’t have full-backs to move up and down every two days. If we lack this quality, we must adjust.”
The midfield will be City’s major priority this summer, even though full-back needs to be addressed as well. Because Ilkay Gundogan’s agreement is up at the conclusion of the current season and Bernardo Silva’s future is uncertain, there may be a void in the team’s heart that will be challenging to fill. Jude Bellingham of Dortmund is a player that several major European teams are keen on, but he will undoubtedly want an eight-figure transfer budget.
Transfer watch
Kaoru Mitoma, the outstanding winger for Brighton & Hove Albion, is reportedly wanted by Real Madrid, Manchester City, and Arsenal. After moving from sister club Union St. Gilloise to the south coast, the Japanese international has been a phenomenon for the Seagulls.
Since late October, he has contributed to 14 goals. If Albion can extend his contract, which is set to end in the summer of 2025, he may become Brighton’s highest-paid player.
Man City are among the clubs associated with Napoli’s revelation, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, among Real Madrid. According to sources in Football Insider, Newcastle United have now emerged as a contender for the 22-year-old who has taken Serie A by storm.
According to the source, he may join the Magpies if they qualify for the Champions League.
Julián Lvarez, a striker for Manchester City, has signed a new deal that will keep him at the Etihad Stadium through 2028, according to the team. He had initially agreed to a five-year contract when he was signed in 2022.
The Argentinean signed a new contract, saying, “This is a joyful moment for my family and me. Incredibly, a club like City would have such confidence in me.”
“My first season here has been great, but there’s still a lot I can improve on. City provides me all I need to reach my potential, even though I know I can do better.”
Manchester City has reportedly contacted Victor Osimhen, the Napoli striker and leading scorer, regarding his availability.
Erling Haaland and Julián Lávarez are the two talented strikers Manchester City has, but they might yet pursue an offer for the Nigerian star. However, Plettenberg claims they will have opposition from teams like PSG, Chelsea, and rival Manchester United.
With Man City’s UCL quest still undisrupted, Manchester City tickets are in full swing as we reach the business end of the season. Given the demand, there might be better options than official retailer sites, and trusted reseller sites can help you source authentic tickets.
