Spending in the transfer market isn’t a guaranteed for curing what ails Man City.
Courtesy: Goal.com
After a disappointing debut season, Pep Guardiola has begun a massive overhaul at Manchester City.
Fullbacks have been the most affected area. “They can play and have a lot of quality, but they defend so compactly and wait to punish you behind your fullback, and we don’t have fullbacks to go up and down, because all of them are 33, 34 years old, so I adapt with the quality of players,” Guardiola lamented after a goal-less draw with ManU last season.
In an effort to bolster his fullbacks, Guardiola has brought in the likes of Walker, Danilo, and Mendy. On the other hand, Zabaleta, Sagna, Clichy, and Kolarov have been shown the exit door to make room for new arrivals.
The goalkeeping department is also a matter for restructuring. Hart and Caballelo have left the club to join West Ham and Chelsea, respectively.
And more changes are expected at the club in the coming days as the manager continues to assemble a squad that’s capable of competing on all fronts.
Guardiola’s spending spree is a clear indication that City is strongly backing him in the transfer market. Players brought in by predecessors are being cleared out as Guardiola creates a team in his own image.
But when you consider how much Guardiola has spent since his arrival, we’re left with more questions than answers.
Let’s face it. Guardiola is spending a lot to bring in players who aren’t worthy of the price. Why isn’t Guardiola improving players brought in by his predecessors? One reason is that he isn’t patient with players who don’t or can’t adapt to his demands.
He’s under pressure to deliver, too. Guardiola started last season with 10 consecutive wins, but then his team had a bad run later in the season. City slipped out of title contention, eventually finishing in third place, 15 points behind Chelsea.
Courtesy: BBC
The experienced coach admitted during a press conference that he would have been sacked had he not won trophies during his time at Barcelona or Bayern. By opting to stick with him City has given him another chance to succeed.
But now he doesn’t have any wiggle room: he must win and he must win now. It’s no exaggeration to say that City’s owners are expecting a Premier League title plus a strong showing in Europe.
But it’s also obvious that Guardiola has issues to address at both ends of the field, starting at the back. Although he has moved quickly to bring in reinforcements, I think Guardiola should look for solutions with players he has on board. Excessive spending may not guarantee success.
One thing is for sure: anything less than major silverware will be seen as a failure.
