This is our City

8 June 2016

Guardiola Has Enough Youth Quality To Prop Up Manchester City's First Team Squad

16 year old Brahim Diaz

Much emphasis has been put on Pep Guardiola's preference to play with a small squad of 14 to 15 players by the media, we all know for an elite English club to survive at the top and succeed a big squad is required. A prime example would be our 2015/16 season, we were in the later stages of all four competitions aka the FA Cup, Capital One Cup, Premier League and Champions League and no other English club could boast that feat BUT. As a result of that we suffered many injuries, injuries to key players might I add including Sergio Aguero, Kevin De Bruyne and Vincent Kompany. All three of those players were injured against Everton FC over multiple matches, something I won't go into now but lets just say no one got punished for it at Everton.

Along with the injuries I believe fatigue also played it's part in Manchester City coming up short and dropping out of the FA Cup, along with the Premier League refusing to reschedule our matches to help us in Europe. So considering the issues that prevented us from a possible treble winning campaign with 2 players in every position to call upon, could 15 senior players go that far or exceed what 23 players could not. In 2015/16 we played with 23 players, one of which was Kelechi Iheanacho while providing a handful of EDS youth players bench duty or brief cameo appearances.

Could Pep Guardiola be successful with just 15 senior squad members?  We all know Spanish and German football are not as demanding as English football so is it possible? Will Pep cut our senior player list down to 15? And what would need to happen if he did?

Well much pressure would be put on our youth system, something Pep has done at both Barcelona and Bayern Munich. As most other City fans do, I want to see homegrown talent from our academy in our first team. The current rules dictate we should have but, who are capable of breaking into our first team under Pep Guardiola at Manchester City and who would City fans most likely want to see?

The players I believe are ready to step up are Brandon Barker, Tosin Adarabioyo, Jason Denayer, Bersant Celina, Aleix Garcia and Manuel Garcia, I'd say Brahim Diaz but despite stepping up to EDS level he's still only 16. If I were Guardiola though I'd give Diaz his chances in the Capital One Cup and FA Cup, I believe all these players are ready to step up and take their chances. That counts two defenders and four midfielders, we are all more than well aware now that Guardiola loves his midfielders according to the media. So that's six youngsters which can be added to the already 15 supposed seniors totaling 21.

Of all those young players, the two that stand out the most for seasoned Mancunian City fans are Brandon Barker and Tosin Adarabioyo, both born Mancunians so there's nothing more we would like to see than those two succeed and become great players for our club. All these players are technically gifted and have been drilled hard in the way of keeping the ball and running at opposing players with the exception of Jason Denayer as he only spent the 2013/14 season with us at youth level before going out on loan, that should not be an issue though as he still has two years experience playing for Celtic then Galatasaray. Whether he makes the grade under Guardiola remains to be seen but, I have high hopes for the lad.

There are other gifted talent in our ranks aka Sinan Bytyqi, Aaron Nemane and Kean Bryan, have all impressed over the course of their City careers at youth level. So even if Guardiola does cut our senior numbers down to 15, we can quite easily accommodate although the more likely scenario will be that Pep goes with slightly more senior players at around 17 or 18.

What's even more exciting is that I haven't even mentioned our U15 and U18 talent and they are taking the youth scene by storm.

So only time will tell what happens but, what an intriguing time we find ourselves in. What do you think will happen? What are your hopes for the new season under Pep?

7 June 2016

Jose and Zlatan Just A Side Show, Guardiola Is Centre Stage, Barcelona Tapping Up Rumoured City Targets Laporte And Bellerin

 


When we finally thought English football was well and truly rid of the biggest egotistical coach in the form of Jose Mourinho after Chelsea first parted company, the same Chelsea brought him back again so he could leave them in even more debt and trouble. Languishing mid table after winning the Premier League title the season before and in £1.1 billion debt. Finally we were rid of the egotist again, or so we thought? Roll up Roll up, along comes the biggest egotistical club on the planet aka Man United, or more happily known to me as McTraffordster United or McDonaldster United, take your pick. It just had to be them didn't it?

So now we are lumbered with yet more of the Jose Mourinho show BUT, it doesn't stop there, now we have the most egotistical coach back in English football again, they just have to go one further and try sign the biggest egotistical player on the planet. I mean this player is soooooo egotistical that he thinks he's a son of God. Not once has he ever won the Champions League with any of the big Champions League clubs he's played for, yet he claims he's up there with Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. This guy likes to talk and talk he does, recently and insultingly claiming in an interview that Pep Guardiola isn't a man. Big talk coming from probably the most egotistical player on the planet to ever exist, I seem to remember well, Zlatan aggressively getting in the face of our Joe Hart not long ago unprovoked.

Seems he didn't like losing to Joe Hart and Manchester City FC in the Quarter Finals of the Champions League. So if the transfer goes through we City fans can look forward to some fireworks. Rather fitting club for the two biggest egotists in World Football, even their fans are arrogant egotists. And we can look forward to the best coach in World football officially taking the reigns on the 1st of July 2016, later unveiled to Manchester City fans on the 3rd at what will be a packed stadium after the club sold out of season cards. With our wage bill down by £6.2 million too £193.8 million for 2015/16 from the prior season, lower than both Chelsea and Man United. While Manchester City climb to 6th in the European Club revenue table at £463.5 million for 2015, only bettered by FC Barcelona, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Man United and PSG. Only £56 million short of United's revenue for 2015, with United playing Thursday night Europa League football and Manchester City FC in the Champions League with Pep Guardiola.

It's inevitable and only a matter of time before we catch up and take over. That said United are just an after thought these days, all their fans ever do is spout the usual regurgitated nonsense and cling on to their clubs history. A history might I add that most of them are both ignorant too and uneducated by, I've come across many a fan bragging about history they weren't even born to experience. Witnessed many a United fan happy to throw the 20 titles around but hadn't got a single clue who Harry Stafford were unless they Wiki'd him. Bang on about how our players are mercenaries and only play for the money and not the badge, about how we didn't earn our status. They forget or are ignorant to the fact their club once hung by a thread of a winding up order and a bunch of sugar daddies saved the club from going under, resulting in large amounts of cash ploughed into their club to achieve glory, that's right Man United didn't earn their history through blood, sweat and tears, at least our fans for the last 3 decades have sweat blood and tears to get too where we are now.

From day one of football, clubs have been run by injections of cash ploughed in by businesses and benefactors. Back in the day I just about tolerated them, lets face it we had no choice but too. These days I find them both pitiful and highly amusing, since that 2012 title win won in the best possible way as far as I'm concerned. I had the weight of football lifted from my shoulders, 30 odd years of loyal support rewarded in the one Agueeerrrroooooo moment. That United Banner rewound felt like euphoria, I couldn't help but cry. I had no time too laugh at United, although I took some amusement out of the Sunderland fans cheering for us.

 Now it's about enjoying the moment and watching my club play on the biggest stage of all, it doesn't matter that we lose so long as we lose with pride. So long as we turn up and give a good account of ourselves, I think most City fans think the same way. That one moment in 2012 made up for the decades under their taunting and shadow, I couldn't care less about them now. I can't wait for the new season to start, for Guardiola to start working his magic. What happens in the Borough of Trafford is of no concern to me, they are a bunch of nobodies until Derby day.

Witnessing Leicester City win the league must have really hurt United and their fans especially after losing out to us again on the last day of the season BUT, seeing the likes of Leicester City with us in the Champions League while they cope with the Europa League must be even harder to take.

Oh Happy Days, Oh Happy Daaaaaaaays.

According too El Confidential, Barcelona's Sporting Director Roberto Fernandez has been using under hand tactics to try beat Manchester City and Guardiola too Arsenal's Hector Bellerin and Athletico Bilbao's Aymeric Laporte. Alleging he's made contact with the Defenders without the permission of their present clubs.

Remains to be seen whether this rumour is true but it won't take long before it's confirmed or denied, what we can be sure of is. Barcelona have previous for tapping up players, most notably youth players from other clubs resulting in sanctions.