Manchester City could see a change in Pep Guardiola's backroom staff next season as clubs look for their next manager.
Comments0
Sport
Guardiola and Vicens in December 2023
Guardiola and Vicens in December 2023
Manchester City's failure to win the Premier League title this season has not stopped other clubs circling for both players and staff. Pep Guardiola could have to change his backroom staff in the summer as Portuguese club Braga look to appoint his assistant Carlos Vicens as their new manager.
Braga secured a fourth-placed finish in their league on Sunday which confirms their place in European competition next season. Despite this, they are expected to part terms with manager Carlos Carvalhal, who only came into the club in August and kept them competitive in a league where Benfica, Sporting and Porto all fight for the title.
Under ambitious owners, Braga are targeting the title and it is understood that Vicens is a target for them as they look to close the gap at the top of Portuguese football. The 42-year-old has never taken charge of a first team but has built an impressive reputation at the Etihad.
Arriving first as an academy coach in 2017, Vicens took over leading the Under-18s in 2020 and won the club's first FA Youth Cup for 12 years in his first season. He was promoted to Guardiola's backroom staff after just one year and in the 2021/22 season his work as set-piece coach helped the club set a Premier League record as the most effective team from set-pieces in the history of the competition.
Vicens did agree to become the manager of Heracles in 2022, only to stay at City after the Dutch side were relegated. The coach has continued to work alongside Guardiola ever since.
City would not entertain any approach for Vicens while their season is ongoing, but they have shown in the past a willingness to let staff leave for other jobs. Domenec Torrent, Mikel Arteta, Enzo Maresca and Juanma Lillo have all left Guardiola's coaching staff to become managers elsewhere, while Rodolfo Borrell went off to be a sporting director.
Guardiola delighted club bosses earlier this season when he agreed a new contract extension to keep him at the club until 2027. However, he issued a warning on Tuesday night that if City maintain a bigger squad for next season it will be 'impossible for his soul' to keep leaving players out of his matchday squads.
"I said to the club I don't want that [a bigger squad]. I don't want to leave five or six players in the freezer. I don't want that. I will quit," he said. "If they make a shorter squad I will stay. It's impossible for my soul to give my players in the tribune that they cannot play.
"Maybe for three or four months we couldn't select 11 players, we didn't have defenders, it was so difficult. After people come back but next season it cannot be like that.
"As a manager I cannot train 24 players and every time I select I have to have four, five, six stay in Manchester at home because they cannot play. This is not going to happen. I said to the club I don't want that."
---
Here at the Manchester Evening News, we’re dedicated to bringing you the best Manchester City coverage and analysis.
Make sure you don’t miss out on the latest City news by joining our free WhatsApp group. You can get all the breaking news and best analysis sent straight to your phone by clicking here to subscribe.
You can also subscribe to our free newsletter service. Click here to be sent all the day’s biggest stories.
*And finally, if you’d rather listen to our expert analysis then make sure to check out our Talking City podcast. Our shows are available on all podcast platforms, including Spotify and Apple Podcasts, and you can also watch along on YouTube.*