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Arguably the most complete side in club football now, Manchester City under Pep Guardiola are forging ahead in full flow.
Even though the Cityzens have the worst net spend among the European elites, racking up a mammoth €631 million expenditure in the past five seasons, they have the silverware to show for their enormous splurge. Manchester City have been the dominant team in England, winning three league titles in Guardiola's five-year reign.
However, not everything has been sunshine and rainbows under the Spanish tactician's tenure. Manchester City have consistently struggled on the continental stage, only progressing past the quarter-finals once under Guardiola.
Despite their glittering roster of players, the Sky Blues seem to lack the clinical edge that an all-conquering team should ideally possess. Can Guardiola fix this hole in City's roster before the start of the 2021-22 season?
Manchester City's pre-season fixtures
Manchester City are expected to play a short pre-season, similar to last year, with only two fixtures confirmed at the time of writing.
The Citizens will welcome Championship side Preston North End on July 27th, before travelling to France to face fellow City Football Group-owned club Troyes four days later. They will then encounter Leicester City in the Community Shield on August 7th. There have been rumours of a charity match against Barcelona, but nothing has been confirmed as of now.
With most of their players participating in either the Euros or the Copa America, Manchester City will only have a handful of first team members at their disposal before their pre-season commences.
Reports suggest that only Fernandinho, fresh off signing a contract extension, Riyad Mahrez, Benjamin Mendy and Zack Steffen, Ederson's understudy, will be back in training by July 19th. They will be accompanied by some promising academy players.
On that note, here are five players who need to perform in pre-season if they wish to be a part of Guardiola's ambitious Manchester City project:
#5 Raheem Sterling
The hero of England at Euro 2020, Raheem Sterling, had a stellar tournament to everyone's surprise. But why was this outcome so unexpected, given that Sterling is a proven superstar? The perception traces its roots to the English winger's sub-par 2020-21 season at City.
In the absence of veterans Sergio Aguero and Kevin de Bruyne, everyone expected Sterling to assume a larger role in the team. He was supposed to lead the City team by example.
Instead, the Jamaican-born attacker underwhelmed, according to his own high standards. Subsequently, Guardiola chose to play Phil Foden and Riyad Mahrez over the flexible forward. Sterling could only muster 13 goals in all competitions, as opposed to his tally of 31 strikes in the 19-20 season.
Sterling was given ample opportunities, but he failed to capitalise on them. Still, Guardiola has insisted that Sterling remains one of the best wingers in the world. Nevertheless, high praise from his manager, Sterling has been linked with a move away from the Etihad. With City keen to land Harry Kane and Jack Grealish, they will need to offload some players to bring in the required funds.
Despite his underwhelming 2020-21 season, Sterling remains a key player for Manchester City. But Sterling making way for new signings is not as farfetched as it once was. Rather, his sale alone could facilitate the deals Guardiola intends to materialise. A good pre-season for the player, meanwhile, would go a long way in convincing the City hierarchy of Sterling's credentials.
#4 Liam Delap
Arguably the crown jewel of Manchester City's academy, Liam Delap has been a revelation since joining the blue half of Manchester from Derby County.
In his two years as a City player, Delap has managed to make three first-team appearances, scoring once in the EFL Cup against Bournemouth. The lanky Englishman's impressive performances earned him a place alongside the first team at the training ground.
Delap specialises as a traditional number 9, with pace and power being his two main attributes. He possesses decent close control and a knack for shooting from distance. However, his reputation as an authentic striker could become the reason behind his undoing.
It is a known fact that Guardiola prefers strikers who can play a deeper role and can also be deployed as a false 9 or a number 10, with the only exception to this rule being a certain Norwegian called Erling Haaland. Amidst strong links connecting Harry Kane to City, Delap has a monumental task at hand.
Reports suggest that Guardiola has opted to give him a chance to prove himself in pre-season. If the Premier League 2 winner can replicate his second division form, the Spanish manager would have no option other than to include the talented 18-year-old attacker in his future plans.
#3 Cole Palmer
The second Manchester City academy prospect on our list, Cole Palmer has had a breakout Premier League 2 campaign for City's U23 team. He scored 13 times and bagged a further six assists.
Along with Delap, Palmer was one of the few youngsters who were handed first-team debuts by Guardiola. To fans' delight, the technically gifted central midfielder recently penned down a 5-year contract extension that'll keep him at City until 2026.
However, a long-term deal doesn't assure a player's future at a club. With the City Football Group constantly taking more and more clubs under their wings, the Citizens have a habit of sending academy players on loan to their sister clubs.
That is to ensure that their progress isn't hampered due to a lack of first-team opportunities. But in some cases, this practice causes the player in question to live out all of his contract, away from the parent club. Patrick Roberts' City career is a perfect example of the same.
Nevertheless, the young Englishman has earned his manager's trust to an extent, with Guardiola reportedly labelling Palmer as 'incredible'.
Palmer's ability to play in multiple positions is his biggest asset. His brilliant touch, coupled with his dribbling skills and eye for goal make him an ideal candidate for Guardiola's intricate system. If Palmer is able to prove his worth in the upcoming pre-season, his future at City could be secured for a while.
#2 Nathan Ake
One area that has always troubled Manchester City ever since Vincent Kompany left the club to rejoin Anderlecht in 2019 is the centre of defence.
City's defence has always stuck out like a sore thumb in an otherwise exceptional cast, until last season. Ruben Dias' addition transformed Stones and established a formidable defensive partnership. However, this meant that the rest of the City defenders were hung out to dry.
No one suffered the consequences of this formation more so than Nathan Ake. While Eric Garcia departed the club to move to Barcelona, Aymeric Laporte's stock has never been in question. If the Spanish international feels he is being undervalued, he will find a string of suitors ready to snatch him away from City's hands. This isn't the case for Ake, though.
The Dutch defender was finally thrown a lifeline by the Sky Blues when they rescued him from second-tier obscurity for a fee of €46 million. He was expected to battle John Stones for a starting spot alongside Laporte. But after an unexpected turn of events, Ake is currently the fourth-choice centre-back at City.
No longer a young prospect at 26 years of age, the former Chelsea graduate will soon be entering his prime years. A 13-game debut season is certainly not what Ake would have expected when he signed with the Cityzens. Only time will tell how his City career pans out.
#1 Benjamin Mendy
How the mighty have fallen. An integral member of the legendary 2016-17 Monaco squad, Benjamin Mendy earned a €60 million move to Manchester City on the back of a solid season at the famous Ligue 1 club. But four years and a horde of injuries later, Mendy's role at City has been reduced to that of a bit-part player.
Guardiola has tried his level best to incorporate the French full-back into his team, but to no avail. Even when fully fit, Mendy has a game that lacks finesse, and he is prone to making high-profile errors. In contrast, when Oleksandr Zinchenko is deployed in his place, the team performs considerably better.
The 24-year-old Ukrainian is much more comfortable with the ball at his feet and can easily slot into midfield during progressional play. That meant Mendy was restricted to just 20 appearances in all competitions last season. His constant knee problems mean that Mendy still hasn't completed 50 Premier League games after spending four seasons in the league.
With Zinchenko fitting in brilliantly in Guardiola's 'Positional Play', Mendy's role as a rotational option has been firmly established.
At 27, the former Le Havre man does not have time on his side. His market value has already dropped to €23 million, a far cry from the fee City paid to acquire his services. Maybe a decent pre-season is what the Frenchman needs to revive his career.
