CITY SPECIAL CATCH US IF YOU CAN PEP GUARDIOLA WILL ONLY IMPROVE SQUAD IN SUMMER...
HOW do you make the best better?
That’s the question that has occupied Pep Guardiola’s mind throughout a campaign that has established City as the pre-eminent force in English football.
And it is only set to intensify over the coming weeks as the Catalan moves to within touching distance of ‘completing’ his squad.
In Guardiola’s head and in his endless search for perfection, the job is never complete.
But there is an anticipation within the Etihad that in the space of one more transfer window, City could address any weaknesses that remain in a squad that is nowhere near its peak.
Three straight summers of stellar recruitment has brought them to this point.
The addition of a central midfielder and a wide forward will give Guardiola all he desires.
He has already overseen a remarkable overhaul of the squad he inherited from Manuel Pellegrini two years ago – with City’s success this season aided by the building blocks put in place in anticipation of his arrival.
The signings of Kevin de Bruyne and Raheem Sterling were understood to have been made with his approval – and both have been pivotal to the most comprehensive of title triumphs.
The recruitment of emerging talents Leroy Sane, Gabriel Jesus, John Stones, Ederson, Bernardo Silva and Aymeric Laporte were designed to see this team grow together.
Throughout his squad, Guardiola has young and hungry players competing for a place in his starting XI – and the results of structuring City in that manner have been spectacular.
But the continued importance of the veterans he inherited cannot be understated.
Immediate pressure points are the positions of Fernandinho and Vincent Kompany.
Guardiola has managed to do what Pellegrini could not in coaxing an entire campaign of excellence out of Fernandinho.
The Brazilian’s tendency to drop off in the second half of the season had been a hallmark of his City career until this term when he has been arguably the most underrated member of their title-winning side. And while he has been handed a two-year contract at the age of 32, Guardiola has acknowledged the need to find a long-term successor. Fellow Brazilian Fred was identified as the first choice option, with City attempting to complete a deal for the Shakhtar Donetsk midfielder in January. He remains on their radar, but alternatives are also being considered in the form of Nice’s JeanMichael Seri and Julian Weigl. As highly as Guardiola rates Fernandinho – with City believing he could play a future role at the club off the pitch – the lack of cover for such a crucial position has been notable. The signings of Stones and Laporte have provided City with a long-term centraldefensive pairing beyond Kompany, even if the Belgian has once-again established himself as Guardiola’s best option at centre-back when fit. Nicolas Otamendi’s dramatic