Pep Guardiola, Pep Lijners and Kole Toure
Pep Guardiola, Pep Lijners and Kole Toure deep in discussion during the Club World Cup
Manchester City’s players have reached the midway point of their summer. Just under two weeks after being knocked out of the Club World Cup, they are just over two weeks away from returning to the Etihad Campus for pre-season.
Their early exit from the United States means they will get three weeks of training before their Premier League campaign begins. A friendly against City Football Group outfit Palermo in Sicily has already been arranged for that period.
The rest being afforded this group of players right now, and the three-week run-in to the new season, are seen as positives from that shock defeat to Al Hilal. That 4-3 reverse was alarming in that it exposed so many frailties from last season.
In the 5-2 win against Juventus, it had looked like were very close to being back to their best. Maybe the positives after that victory were overplayed, in the same way the negatives after defeat to Al Hilal are now being overegged.
And in reality, it’s hardly surprising some of those issues resurfaced during the tournament. As keen as was to paint it as a new season and a new start, it was really an add-on to last season.
The players had a couple of weeks off and then around a week of training before the competition began. At that point, the schedule was dominated by games, travel, and recovery days. There was very little time to overhaul methods.
Instead, the three-week lead-up to the August 16 trip to Molineux will provide a blank canvas, and given the changes within Guardiola’s coaching staff this summer, what is painted will be fascinating to see.
The departures of Juanma Lillo, Inigo Dominguez and Carlos Vicens created vacancies and the opportunity for a refresh.
James French arrived as the new set-piece coach and immediately won praise from the players, while Kolo Toure stepped up for the Club World Cup and was an ideal conduit between Guardiola and the squad.
Pep Lijnders was the most high-profile arrival as Guardiola’s right-hand man. Jurgen Klopp’s former No. 2 is a highly rated coach, and he was a vocal presence on the training ground at Lynn University in Boca Raton.
However, the 42-year-old had only limited time to get to know the players and make changes. His appointment was only confirmed a couple of days before the squad flew to their Miami base.
The tournament will have benefited him by helping him get to know the squad and build rapport with Guardiola and the other support staff. During City's four games, he often discussed tactical elements with Guardiola.
Now, Lijnders has a longer break to draw up training plans for the season. This break and then the three-week training block is when he can really put his imprint on things and that could well lead to significant changes in City’s tactical approach when the Premier League begins.
Kevin de Bruyne is one of - if not the - greatest players to play for Manchester City.
He leaves the club having won six Premier League titles, two FA Cups, five League Cups and a memorable Champions League victory!
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To mark his amazing time at the Etihad Stadium, this special edition has been produced - KDB The King - to celebrate Kev's career with the Blues. We look back at his 10 best games in Blue, celebrate his title wins and hear from the City boss and a host of team-mates and football elite who give their views on what makes him so special.
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