Pep’s pups to rule
Francis up for a fight
BOURNEMOUTH skipper Simon Francis admits Eddie Howe’s side have been finding things harder this year after two relatively comfortable top-flight campaigns.
The defender said: “Without a doubt this is our toughest Premier League season.
“We acknowledge we’re in a relegation battle and we are going to have to show the fight we have before to get away from it.”
Angelo Ogbonna believes West Ham are benefitting from David Moyes’ back-to-basics approach.
The centre-back said: “We’ve changed our shape, and when the manager came he put in some basic rules for us. It’s better if you follow the rules.
“He told us don’t concede. When you talk to each other it’s much better and we changed from four at the back to five. It’s much more comfortable for us now. We work two or three days a week, when we get time, to improve.” REPORTS IF Pep Guardiola stays longterm at Manchester City then great. If not, the club are more than confident they have the players and philosophy in place to sustain success for years.
There was a time when Abu Dhabi billionaire Sheikh Mansour first invested his petrodollars to buy the club nearly 10 years ago when City’s transfer policy was rather “scatter gun.”
The first signing of the new era Robinho – a £32m buy from Real Madrid – was a statement of intent more than anything, as was interest in Brazilian superstar Kaka.
But that has not been the case for several years now. Long before Guardiola arrived 18 months ago, the long-term project and transfer strategy was put in place.
City have bought progressively younger players with potential to develop as well as placing an enormous emphasis – not to mention amount of money – on their youth academy.
Now they have a team set to dominate as neighbours Manchester United did in the past.
They have steadily released many of the old guard that brought two Premier League titles, the FA Cup and two League Cups.
Now they have a vibrant team where many key men are under 25 with their best years ahead.
In goal, they have Ederson Moraes, who is 24 and on the brink of breaking into Brazil’s team for the World Cup next summer.
At the back there are John Stones and Benjamin Mendy, both 23, while Kyle Walker, England’s first-choice right-back, is hardly ancient at 27.
In midfield they have the early favourite for the player-of-the-year awards, Kevin De Bruyne, who is 26 and set to sign a new deal that will keep him at the Etihad for the rest of his top-flight career while Bernardo Silva, 23, is viewed as the long-term replacement for his namesake David.
Out wide there are Raheem Sterling, 23, and Leroy Sane, 21, who are likely to continue to terrorise defences for another decade. And up front is Gabriel Jesus, only 20 but already a regular for Brazil. City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak is not alone in having huge expectations.
He said: “Leroy’s the right age, the right talent, one of the most exciting prospects in Europe, and he’s shown that on the pitch this year.”
As for Stones Al Mubarak also predicts City’s huge investment will pay off. “He is going to be one of the best central defenders in the world, I have no doubt about that. A top, top player.” And Jesus? “He is 19, one of the top future talents in the world.” It has certainly cost City a pretty penny to assemble that glittering array of talent – around £350m.
But to balance out that expenditure, their investment in developing their own players is starting to pay off with Phil Foden, England’s Under-17 World Cup winning hero, Brahim Diaz, Tosin Adarabioyo and Olek Zinchenko all impressing the demanding Guardiola enough to be given firstteam run-outs this season. With City top of the Premier League, through to the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup, a relatively “easy” last-16 tie in the Champions League against Basle, plus a home tie with Burnley in the FA Cup, there is already talk of pulling off an unprecedented quadruple.
And Al Muburak predicted just that in his last annual report – even before the season began.
He said: “We should have that aspiration. Pep wants to win it all and that’s what I love about him