Pep’s an obsessive with a sarcastic streak... but he’ll drive City to glory
he will be successful this season with City.
Put it this way, if anyone finishes above them in the Premier League, they will be champions.
Pep can be a bit sarcastic at times, but he has been successful wherever he has gone and I am sure he will bring that to City too.
It is his obsession that makes him learn from his mistakes and you can see he learned a lot from last season, because he went out in the summer and paid a helluva lot of money to rectify the problem. They had no platform to play from because the defence was so rubbish. Sides could go to the Etihad, ride their luck a bit and know they could score. So he went out and bought some defenders. Everton were one of the teams who went there last season and frustrated City and I think the game tomorrow night will actually be a real test for Guardiola (with Toffees boss Ronald Koeman, above left), to assess if he has improved City. I am not saying it is make-orbreak, it is far too early for that, but we will get an idea of where City are. Everton are no mugs. They have spent well in the summer and have a really solid defence themselves – which shows with four clean sheets so far at the start of the season. Yet, I don’t think they will go to the Etihad just to defend. Koeman wants his team to play and they have a decent signing in Gylfi Sigurdsson, even if I am still convinced they need a new striker. So we will get a decent idea of where City are and whether Guardiola has all his team singing from the same sheet. And when I look at their forward-line, with someone like Raheem Sterling not guaranteed a place and goals coming from every position, they can rip opponents apart – even ones as well-equipped as Everton. It will be a fascinating game because I am sure both sides will want to make a statement early in the campaign – but I think the obsessive in Guardiola will make him deliver it louder.