Manchester city

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The new face of American outdoor wear brand Gore-Tex.

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Guardiola's more Mancini than Pellegrini: Inside Pep's first weeks at Man City

Less than 24 hours before Manchester City launched their new away kit at an open-air fan festival in Beijing, Pep Guardiola had his own commercial commitments to attend. The Catalan broke off from the club’s pre-season tour of China to be unveiled as the new face of outdoor wear brand Gortex. On the first floor of the plush Intercontinental hotel were billboards with a glossy image of Guardiola braving a storm.The slogan below read: ‘Let nothing hold you back.’

There is a feeling at City that with Guardiola on board, the possibilities are endless. They have entered the age of the super manager – and it is a world away from the Manuel Pelligrini era. Guardiola is box-office. So much so that City were happy to embark on their bid to woo the emerging Chinese market without a marquee signing to exhibit. Instead, they had the ‘Pep-effect’. Things have already changed within the club and the dressing room since his arrival. His grand unveiling in front of around 6000 fans at the start of the month was unprecedented in English football - as carefully choreographed as a rock concert at the Etihad. Staff adhered to the unofficial dress code of the day by wearing jeans – because ‘we knew he would turn up in a pair.’ He arrived in black cab – befitting his unassuming image as a man of the people – while his decision to eschew a grand estate in leafy Cheshire for a Salford apartment is seen as underlining his intention to immerse himself in his new surroundings.His fondness for Stone Island T-shirts – as worn on the touchline for the pre-season games against Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund– has prompted much debate among fashionistas on social media.
Guardiola has star appeal – and after three years of Pellegrini’s dour persona, City insiders believe he is exactly what they need in this latest stage of their evolution under owner Sheikh Mansour. Pellegrini was deemed a necessary calming influence following the fireworks of Roberto Mancini. When Shay Given recently described how the Italian manager “fell out with everyone” at City, there were knowing nods among members of staff. Mancini was not the type to shy away from confrontation. When the City Football Academy was under construction – including a shiny new media facility for press conferences - the ex-manager asked for a monitor to be installed in a connecting room so he could see where certain journalists were sitting before he entered. Pellegrini was considered the perfect antidote to his combustible reign. A safe enough pair of hands that City’s hierarchy were even comfortable letting him see out last season’s underwhelming campaign as a bridge to Guardiola’s arrival. There is now an acceptance that players allowed their levels to drop in the Chilean’s final year.

The feeling is that they are a club in need of re-energising. In need of Guardiola. In some ways he is more Mancini than Pellegrini. There’s even a touch of Jose Mourinho in there. He was forced to deny claims of a fall out with Bayern’s long-standing and well-respected doctor in his second season in Germany – which was said to have prompted Hans-Wilhelm Muller-Wohlfahrt to quit. Asked about the farce surrounding Monday’s cancelled game against Manchester United due to fears over players’ safety on the pitch at Beijing’s Bird’s Nest Stadium, his response was distinctly off-message. In the middle of a high-profile tour to expand City’s commercial reach, he turned on the organisers of the International Champions Cup. “It was not about the water or the last rain, it was about the people here didn’t think it mattered about the pitch and the situation for the players,” he declared. City officials later insisted Guardiola’s comments did not represent the view of the club. They were satisfied the state of the pitch was due to torrential downpours in China’s capital.

In the space of less than a month, his regime has been strict. Overweight players have been forced to train away from the rest of the team – placed on conditioning programs. Samir Nasri was outed as having returned for pre-season heavier than Guardiola deems acceptable. Certain food, like pizza and sugary drinks, have been banned. On the training ground he is at the heart of things – halting play in seven-a-side matches to get his point across demonstrably, with dramatic hand gestures and all. Very Mancini. It was an intriguing insight into his exacting standards.

The indication is that the squad he inherited from Pellegrini is already buying into his ideas. His easy charm has won them over – joking with players one minute, issuing instructions the next – as has his record of 21 trophies in seven seasons at Barcelona and Bayern. “He’s young so I think he understands how football is going with the new generation coming though,” remarked Gael Clichy. “I think in eight or nine years, Guardiola has won pretty much everything and he’s changed the way we see football.” It was anticipated Guardiola’s arrival would mark a clear out of a squad of highly-paid players who have underperformed for two years in succession. Instead City have been confronted with a situation where several of the more vulnerable members have declared an intention to stay – such is the desire to work him. That presents its own problems as Guradiola and director of football Txiki Begiristain try to make significant additions in his first transfer window.
Promised the funds to turn City into Champions League winners - his recruitment policy has been imaginative. Considered the man who would be able to lure Lionel Messi to Manchester, Guardiola has so far avoided superstar signings - instead identifying relative bargain buys. Ilkay Gundogan at £21m was pursued ahead of Paul Pogba, Toni Kroos, Renato Sanches and Thiago Alcantara. Nolito – the £13.8m 29-year-old Spain winger - was an unexpected choice as City’s next No 9. A clutch of emerging talents have also been hand-picked from across the globe – Gabriel Jesus, Marlos Moreno, Oleksandr Zinchenko and Geronimo Rulli. At a combined fee of close to £100m, John Stones and Leroy Sane will represent significant investments – but aged 22 and 20 respectively, they are indicative of his long-term planning.
Guardiola has initially signed a three-year contract, but has set no time-frame for his departure, despite candidly admitting it won’t be his final job in football. “People say I stay two or three years in a club, but this is not true,” he says. “I can stay for a long time - or short time. “When you are a football player you have a four-year contract and visualise the next four years. “With a coach it doesn't matter. You visualise week by week.” That Guardiola is targeting so many players who won’t reach their peak for another four or five years, offers encouragement to supporters that City will be his longest stay yet in management and repeat or even eclipse the success he achieved at Barcelona and Bayern. That remains to be seen – and there are indications already that he is uncomfortable with his billing as some kind of messiah.That modest attitude, too, has been welcomed by senior figures at the club – even if their ambitions with him at the helm are anything but.

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Pep-olution:

June 1 - Mid-Fielder - Ilkay Gundogan - 20m (from Borussia Dortmund) - Jersey No: 16
June 30 - Mid-Fielder - Aaron Mooy - Free (from Melbourne City Football Club)
July 1 - Forward - Nolito - 13.8m (from Celta de Vigo) - Jersey No: 9
July 4 - Mid-Fielder - Oleksandr Zinchenko - 1.7m (from FC Ufa)
August 2 - Mid-fielder - Leroy Sane - 37m (from Schalke 04) - Jersey No: 19

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Sane:

“I feel really good, I’m happy to be here and happy that it has all worked out. Now I can settle here in Manchester and play for City.

“One of the reasons I decided to join City was Pep Guardiola; he convinced me to come here and that I can continue to progress. I know I will learn a lot under him and now I can take the next step in my career.

“I followed Pep at Barcelona and at Bayern where he achieved a lot and worked really well with young players.

“I think he can make me a more complete player. I think I will need a bit of time to start with because it’s another league and there’s a different style of play but I think I can adapt very quickly.”