DON’T TAKE YOUR FOOT OFF THE GAS
Pep tells City to learn from slips at Barca and Bayern
PEP GUARDIOLA has spent the last fortnight drumming the perils of complacency into his Manchester City squad. Guardiola has used meetings at the club’s training ground and team talks before their opening two Premier League matches to make sure minds are focused.
The Catalan is placing great importance on mental strength during the first weeks of the season and refuses to allow standards to slip after amassing a record 100 points last term.
Guardiola remembers dropping points early as a reigning champion in Spain and Germany and does not want City to fall into a false sense of entitlement. Barcelona drew two of their first four league games in 2011 before finishing second to Jose Mourinho’s Real Madrid. The year before, Barca were victims of a shock 2-0 home defeat by Hercules in the second game of that campaign but rallied to clinch the title eventually.
Guardiola also saw his Bayern Munich team fail to win two of the first four fixtures of the 2014-15 season. A year later Bayern did not drop a point until October 30 when defending their crown.
Guardiola has returned reinvigorated by the youthful City team, with sources claiming he is working harder than ever as he bids to become the first manager in a decade to successfully defend a Premier League title.
Vincent Kompany, a winning captain in 2012 and 2014, believes this squad are hungrier than previous City teams, with the 6-1 demolition of Huddersfield serving as proof.
‘It’s different from previous years we have won the league,’ he said. ‘I think everyone has been warned enough as well.
‘We almost have to fight against ourselves and our nature, not to fall in the same trap as the other teams have done — my teams included a few years ago. It is the easiest moment to let something go.’
Guardiola (right) last night moved to solve his goalkeeper crisis by recalling teenager Aro Muric from his loan spell at Dutch club NAC Breda. Ederson was left as City’s only senior keeper after his No 2 Claudio Bravo suffered an achilles injury that could rule him out for most of the season. The Chile international will travel to Barcelona today to be assessed by Dr Ramon Cugat.
There were concerns Muric’s loan did not include a recall option but City confirmed the Montenegrin will return. Muric is expected to be on the bench when City face Wolves at Molineux on Saturday.
The 19-year-old made only one appearance for NAC Breda, keeping a clean sheet in last weekend’s 3-0 win over De Graafschap.