CITY LEGENDS HAIL PEP’S MEN
City legends hail Guardiola’s machine
UWE ROSLER APP: 152 GOALS: 50 (1994-98)
I WOULD like to compare what Pep Guardiola is doing now at Manchester City to what he did at Bayern Munich where he took over a squad of stars who had won the Treble.
He implemented his own ideas in two or three months and revolutionised German football: how you think and play.
Pep challenged the players on a completely different level and I can see the similarities now at City. He has put a lot of energy, youth and ability into that team.
Germany would not have won the World Cup in 2014 had Pep not worked with those five or six players at Bayern Munich. Joachim Low took those ideas into the national team.
I can see similar things in English football and the England team will benefit.
Pep improves players young and old, that’s his gift. They have a complete belief that he can make them better.
You see it with Sergio Aguero, physically in terms of his high-intensity runs.
And it’s been highlighted in the last two weeks by Raheem Sterling scoring those late goals.
His passing has improved and so has his scoring. His left foot is so much better now. He is a more complete player.
With the financial power of the club, Pep can add one or two players each season. He’s putting down a solid foundation for the future.
He took his time to adapt to the Premier League because it is more competitive than Germany and Spain. But you can’t see anybody beating City to the Premier League title right now.
I have genuinely not seen a team like this in English football.
DENNIS TUEART APP: 224 GOALS: 86 (1974-78, 79-83)
IN CITY’S golden period of the late Sixties and early Seventies, there was no succession planning. The best example of that was Liverpool. They were the artists at it and Alex Ferguson picked up the reins at Manchester United. If you look at the ages of the City players now, most of them are under 28 — John Stones, Leroy Sane, Raheem Sterling, Bernardo Silva, Gabriel Jesus — it’s succession planning. The biggest challenge is to have that forward thinking and stop the players going into a comfort zone. That’s the ultimate challenge with millionaire footballers and the temptations out there. But the coach is driven. He drives himself and that is reflected in the players. In general, players only leave due to money or the manager. Well, at City, they’re paid enough and they love the manager. I was concerned last season because I knew what he wanted to do and he wasn’t quite getting there. He expected more out of his four full backs. But the beauty of Pep is that he evolves his teams according to the players at his disposal. He played different systems at Bayern and Barcelona and now he’s doing it at City. The biggest danger would be if we lost Kevin De Bruyne and David Silva at the same time. But, considering the competitiveness of the league, City are playing at the highest level. We’re not just playing well, we’re playing attractively and that is what everyone wants.
PETER BARNES APP: 123 GOALS: 15 (1974-79, 87-88)
IT IS great to be a City fan after all these years. It’s a joy to watch. To me, football is about entertainment and always has been.
If you have got exciting players, that is what fans pay to see.
We’ve got a nucleus of a good defence, good goalkeeper and five or six players up front who can all pop up and create a bit of magic — Leroy Sane, Raheem Sterling, Kevin De Bruyne. We all know what Sergio Aguero can do and David Silva is a maestro.
These lads can play anywhere: left wing, right wing, centre forward, drop deep . . .
That is what Manchester United were like 10-15 years ago, they all scored goals. These things go in cycles and I think it’s City turn.
It is about creative players, the game has not changed. The more creative players in your side, the more games you win. There is no substitute for skill. Johan Cruyff taught Pep about Total Football at Barcelona. When you’ve got the ball, keep it, don’t give it away. He did it at Barcelona and Bayern Munich and now he’s doing it at City.
TONY BOOK APP: 244 GOALS: 4 (1966-74)
PEOPLE talk about Barcelona and Real Madrid, but the way City have played this season is as good as any team in the world. It is the best squad of players I have seen at the club and Pep has got the team playing as well as any team can play. When you are trying to defend against them, they shift the ball so well. It was a learning curve for him last season. He found that if you change the team too much then you are in trouble. He is putting out his best team for every game now and that is a big factor. I see City going from strength to strength. The owners are in it for the long haul and have backed the manager. When you have that, anything is possible. I think City will win the title and they have got every chance of winning the Champions League too.
TOMMY BOOTH APP: 382 GOALS: 25 (1967-81)
A LOT of my mates are Manchester United fans and they have been saying we can go the season unbeaten, although I’m sure they’re hoping we don’t! That’s a tall order. United are playing well at the moment too and, if you are not on your game in the Premier League, you are going to get beaten.
Whatever people were saying about Pep Guardiola, he’s learned very well and put it right.
There was the goalkeeper situation and centreback issue when Vincent Kompany wasn’t fit. But he has brought in a couple of lads and he is doing what people thought he’d do in the first season.
You have got a player like Fabian Delph at left back and he looks like he’s played there all his life.
We are favourites for the Premier League title and we will take some stopping.
You never know but Pep is reputed to be the best coach in the world and he won’t let them ease up.