Pep says farewell to Mikel but won’t be adding a fresh face to backroom team
PEP Guardiola will not make any addition to his Manchester City backroom staff despite Mikel Arteta’s imminent departure for Arsenal.
Arteta was confirmed as Arsenal’s new manager yesterday afternoon, becoming Unai Emery’s successor on a threeand-a-half year deal.
The Spaniard said his goodbyes to staff at City on Thursday, having arrived at the club with Guardiola in 2016.
Arteta is the second senior member of coaching staff that Guardiola has lost in the last 18 months, following Domenec Torrent’s departure for New York City FC last year.
Torrent has since left his position at New York, but Guardiola confirmed on Friday that City would not make any external appointment to replace Arteta before the end of the season.
“We’ll stay with the same people. Right now we are not adding anyone. We’ll work with the people who are here.”
On Arteta, Guardiola added: “He decided to move there. Whenyouhavedreamsyou cannot stop it. You have to follow your dreams.
“Arsenal was important in his career, one of the best teams in Europe. I wish him all the best — I’m sure he’ll do an excellent job.”
Third-place City welcome second-place Leicester to the Etihad for Saturday’s tea-time kick-off, but only the visitors can close the gap on leaders Liverpool.
Sergio Aguero and John Stones have both taken part in training and are in contention to play, but David Silva is still recovering from a knock sustained in the defeat to Manchester United.
Brendan Rodgers, meanwhile, was always convinced Raheem Sterling would become “a world-class operator” after helping to feed his hunger during the early stages of his career at Liverpool.
Following his appointment as Reds boss in June 2012, Rodgers helped a then 17-yearold Sterling blossom before he was sold for £44m three years later to Manchester City.
The paths of Rodgers and Sterling cross again this evening with both sides needing victory to keep in touch with Liverpool who are playing inQatarintheClubWorldCup final.
Appreciating the player Sterling (right) has become, Rodgers said: “Raheem was always a joy to work with.
“He was a very young player who had clear ambitions, but he backed that up with his work.
“When we put him into the team he played with such intensity, such drive and quality, and there were lots of positions he played in for me because he was so versatile, such an incredible young footballer.
“But he always had the hunger to learn, and when he left to go to Manchester City, you could see that hunger to improve.”
Under Guardiola, Rodgers recognises Sterling has now become one of the game’s top stars.
“With Pep’s coaching he has developed into a consistently world-class operator, and he will believe himself there is still a lot more to come,” added Rodgers.
“Off the field, he was a great boy, and he always stood up for what he believed in as well, off thepitchandonit.
“It’s been fantastic to see his development from a young player at 17 into a world-class talent.
“And people will tell you he is still the same, a humble young guy who is not frightened towork,and has this amazing talent that he works at.”
With the Foxes currently 10 points adrift of Liverpool, the clash with City is one Rodgers’ side effectively cannot lose ahead of their Boxing Day battle with Jurgen Klopp’s pacesetters.
“It’s one where we can only think about ourselves because we can’t forecast what the other teams are going to do,” assessed Rodgers.
“We’re approaching the midway part of the season and we’re happy with where we’re at, but we still have goals and objectives to achieve.
“We’re in a position in which no-one expected us to be, but the growth of the team and the confidence they’re gaining from how we’re working has allowed them to be in the position we’re in.
“We have to consistently work on that, and let’s see where it takes us.”
As to whether he feels City are good enough to win the title, he added: “We will do our best.
“There are clubs much bigger than ourselves, but we love the challenge of being in the competition, and we’re comfortable with our position.
“But we’re not getting carried away because it’s a very tough league with some amazing teams. “Over the first part of the season we’ve showed some great consistency, and we will look to take that into the second part.”