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#2 Young Bloods
Age might be just a number for cricketers; Football, barring a few extraordinary players, largely remains a youngster’s game. How else would you explain Pep Guardiola’s clean-up act at Manchester City prior to the last season? Pablo Zabaleta, Gael Clichy, Jesus Navas, Bacary Sagna, Aleksandar Kolarov and Willy Caballero were all on the wrong side of thirty and hence didn't fit into Pep's plans.
The City boss replaced the old legs with younger ones as defenders Benjamin Mendy (23), Kyle Walker (27), and Danilo (26) came in along with goalkeeper Ederson (23) and midfielder Bernado Silva (22). As a result, what was one of the oldest squads the previous year, suddenly looked an invigorating force with an average age of 25 years. And the rest, as they say, is history. The energy was evident almost instantly as they blitzed past sides at will to win the Premier League with a 19-point gap to second-placed Manchester United.
City have the blueprint now. It’s fair to say that Guardiola’s exciting squad will be brimming with confidence after a record-breaking season and there are no reasons to believe why they can’t replicate last season’s heroics this time around.
