Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has said that new signings and staff will inject fresh energy into his team next season.
City’s run of four successive Premier League titles ended as they finished third, 13 points behind champions Liverpool, in a year which saw them end trophyless.
Speaking during an interview with ESPN, Pep shared that he has already told the board to give him good players this summer.
He believes good players will be able to adapt and adjust in any environment they find themselves, especially if they have the quality to hit the ground running in a new league.
According to Pep, he wants players who can deliver at important stadiums like Anfield, Bernabéu and Camp Nou, because only difference makers like that can take Manchester City to the next level.
“Always the same: Give me good players.
The rest, it doesn’t matter. The good players can adapt and adjust. We will adapt the movement or tactics or whatever things we say as managers for the quality of the players.
And especially [give me] players that go to Anfield, go to [Real] Madrid, the Bernabéu, Barcelona, Camp Nou or wherever and say: ‘OK, I’m going to play my best.’ That is the difference, the top players have that.
But we are not adjusting for the fact that we [had a tough season]. If we win, I don’t have to adjust anything? That is a mistake. When you win, you also have to adjust things.
Day by day, game by game, week by week [you adjust]. Of course we are going to adjust some things, but not for the fact that we just won the Community Shield,” he said.
He further noted that while it would be tough to lose colleagues he has worked closely with for many years, the new additions can give the team renewed energy.
He concluded by saying that changing players and staff is inevitable, stressing that change will always be the only constant thing in life.
“I’m going to lose people that I adore and they mean something, of course, but it happened in the past with many people.
In 15 years, a lot left, everyone cheated on me! But the new ones, younger people and new players, they always bring this energy and this energy revitalises a lot.
I need energy for myself and the people give me energy. You see the eyes, new faces, ‘I want to do it,’ ‘I want to be there,’ new little details in the training sessions. It’s new energy.
Because energy for itself, the energy is one Premier League more, one Champions League more or one Community Shield more? It’s not. It’s not going to change my life one Premier League more or less in my period in Man City, it’s not going to change anything.
But the [new] people, they give you that [energy] day by day the people. That is the reason why changing players and staff is really good,” he added.
