It’s been only a couple of months since Manchester City announced the imminent arrival of Pep Guardiola as the manager next season. It was a move that stole the headlines and sent the gossip columns into overdrive. One of the biggest managers in world football coming to Manchester, and that too to the blue half. Oh how the times have changed!
City basked in the glory of their biggest coup to date as a pink slip was given to the outgoing Manuel Pellegrini, who took the news with dignity.
It seems a perfect story on paper. Best manager and top players who make a winning team.
But alas, it seems like Guardiola will have quite a task in hand to bring his new side to the top of world football.
Granted that even on a bad day, they have the players with talent and wherewithal to grind out a result, but perhaps the days of swashbuckling dominance is coming to an end.
The team needs a new spine.
Right from their first league title under the new era when Sergio Aguero finished off one of the most exciting campaigns ever so dramatically with an injury time winner against Queens Park Rangers in 2012, City have failed to evolve with the times.
In the cut-throat world of football, moving with the times is a key factor in staying ahead of the pack. Resting on their laurels is a cardinal sin.
Joe Hart, Vincent Kompany, Yaya Toure, David Silva and Aguero who form the backbone of City are five years older.
What awaits Guardiola next season is a major rebuilding job. Get rid of players who are well past their prime, trim the squad and turn them into a well-oiled machine that is a trademark of the Spanish tactician.
It will take money, which they have in abundance, foresight and perhaps even time, to recruit the type of players needed to fit his philosophy.
There might even be bigger complications as the club looks to be walking a tightrope in terms of Champions League qualification. Anything is far from guaranteed this season and much less so from a side that is equally capable of crumbling as they are of playing with swagger.
What lies ahead for Guardiola is a challenge that he has never encountered. Question is, can he step up to the plate
