Alan Shearer said he almost dozed off during Manchester City’s 1-0 defeat to Arsenal such was the poor quality on show.
23.09.2023 - 04:29 / manchestereveningnews.co.uk
Twelve months ago, Pep Guardiola wasn't happy. The Manchester City manager could see something wasn't quite right as his side drew two of their opening six games and lost twice before the World Cup break.
On multiple occasions, Guardiola commented on the difficulty of motivating his City squad after winning back-to-back titles and he would attack all levels of the club in January after a comeback win against Tottenham, accusing them of complacency when it comes to winning trophies.
The form - and mentality - improved in the new year as City won that third Premier League in a row, as well as a first Champions League and the FA Cup. Now, Guardiola can lead his side to a sixth win in a row at the start of the campaign and he admits there are no concerns about mentality this year.
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Asked if he had seen the mentality he wanted so far this season, he said: "The season is so long. So far, yes, but a lot of games and a lot of players with a lot of minutes already. That is not good. After the treble I thought 'how would the people come?' In terms of how good we are, how nice we are. We do the principles, work each other."
And Guardiola credited the summer transfer business in keeping the motivation up in the dressing room, with Mateo Kovacic in search of a first Premier League title, and Josko Gvardiol, Jeremy Doku and Matheus Nunes all without a Premier League or Champions League medal to their name.
"That's why it's important to bring new players. They don't have nothing to defend," the manager explained. "They have to do everything to win.
Alan Shearer said he almost dozed off during Manchester City’s 1-0 defeat to Arsenal such was the poor quality on show.
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All those legitimate concerns and worries. All of them are already completely blown away.