Ilkay Gundogan verdict on Pep Guardiola “dаnger” gives hope to nervous Man City fans

Manchester City may continue to strengthen their squad in the final two weeks of the transfer window after injuries and departures have plagued the Blues.

Pep Guardiola was asked at his Manchester City club what qualities he valued most in a player. His answer: ‘Be a good team-mate.’ Guardiola will need his slim squad to be better team-mates than ever this season and City are likely to start the season weaker than when they won the treble two months ago.

Captain Ilkay Gundogan is gone, as is foreign expert Riyad Mahrez.Defensive rocker Aymeric Laporte could be next to give Guardiola exceptional passing skills that have changed the way City play. Since arriving, Laporte City have won five Premier League titles.

Kevin De Bruyne is now injured and City are racing against time to find reinforcements before the two-week transfer deadline if they so wish. Guardiola has just led City to an all-time high and now he faces the biggest challenge he has ever faced in rebuilding that team.

Guardiola guided City to the UEFA Super Cup on Wednesday as the injured side beat Sevilla on penalties. It wasn’t good, but neither was the Champions League final.

City won both trophies and no one will remember their achievements. Anyway, patient Blues fans can rejoice that two titles were won while City didn’t play their best football. The Super Cup was Guardiola’s 15th title as City manager and underscores his status as the club’s top manager.

City released a documentary on Friday detailing the impact the Catalan genius has had on the club, English football and beyond. At one point, the documentary details the tactical innovations Guardiola underwent during his tenure as coach, from winning his favorite title with Barcelona B to ‘changing the way we understand football in Spain’ while in Barcelona according to Rodri.

His use of Philipp Lahm at Bayern Munich was the precursor to his evolution of John Stones at City, while another diagram illustrates the sheer number of top-class managers and coaches who have been influenced by him. From expected names like Xavi to Thierry Henry and Mikel Arteta, to the less expected ones like Thomas Tuchel, Steve Cooper, Graham Potter, Erik Ten Hag and Roberto De Zerbi.

Guardiola’s record means he has earned the right not to be questioned too harshly, and City fans who would usually be worried about their lack of depth this season know from experience that the manager will have something up his sleeve.

As Ilkay Gundogan puts so succinctly in the new documentary, every season Guardiola will find a way to change things.

“If you look at the seasons we had together there was not one season we played identically,” says Gundogan. “There were always little details that changed. Trying to play the same type of football for many years brings certain dangers with it.

“Having that little challenge from the manager leads to everyone being on the front foot. That’s why he’s probably the most innovative manager of more than the last decade.”

City may need Guardiola to rise to that challenge and show that innovation this season, especially when it comes to replacing the influence of De Bruyne or getting his new signings to fit in as quickly as possible.

Even if there may be a few doubts over the state of City’s squad at the start of the season, fans can be assured that Guardiola will have a plan up his sleeve to get the very best of his players to defend their treble.