Arsenal and Barcelona legend Thierry Henry has attempted to predict his former manager Pep Guardiola’s starting XI for Manchester City next season. Ever since Guardiola announced that he would become Manchester City manager next season, there has been intense speculation as to which players will remain and which players will arrive at Manchester City.
On Saturday Night Football, during Manchester City’s 2-1 win over West Brom, Thierry Henry predicted how Pep Guardiola will look to line up at The Etihad.
Henry said: “He is not scared to change things. If you don’t fit the bill he’s going to let you know, and he’s not scared of anything. He just wants to win and to dominate. Unfortunately for Yaya I think it might be the end for him at Man City, as crazy as it is to say that. Joe Hart is another player people aren’t talking about much at the moment.”
The Arsenal legend surprisingly said that Guardiola might replace Joe Hart with Ter Stegen. The England “number 1” has been in good form and it might come as a bit of a surprise if that move does indeed happen.
“I love Joe and I think he is a great goalkeeper, but because of the way Guardiola likes to play, everything starts with the goalkeeper. You see Manuel Neuer playing almost as a sweeper for Bayern Munich. He plays high, with composure, and when the ball comes back, it’s ‘can you pick out your number four, your number six, your number 10?’ But whether Joe keeps his place or not, that’s going to be Pep’s decision.” said Henry.
The former Juventus and Barcelona striker continued saying: “He will bring competition because at every single position at every club you have two guys that can start, and that’s just the way it is. We are obviously just speculating, but he is not scared to change things.
“He will demand a lot from his players, from the kit man, from the groundsman, from the people who make coffee at the training ground. Everything has to be perfect – intensity, work ethic and possession.”
The Frenchman also predicted that Guardiola will bring in two huge midfield players, Paul Pogaba and Gundogan to the Etihad next season. As a result, Henry said that Manchester City might line up like this next season:
