MANCHESTER CITY continue to plough mercilessly through everything in their path. Next to try to derail this seemingly unstoppable object will be Celtic in the Champions League tomorrow night.
Brendan Rodgers may have to start both Dorus de Vries and Craig Gordon in goal to have any chance of denying City what would be an 11th successive victory.
Managers often need a period to bed in at a new club but evidently not Pep Guardiola. The Catalan perhaps had the advantage of knowing several months in advance that he would be alighting at the Etihad this summer but, regardless, the manner in which he has rejuvenated a City squad that had been flagging latterly under Manuel Pellegrini has been wholly impressive.
Even long-standing, often long-suffering, supporters of the blue half of Manchester can scarcely believe the instant impact the former Bayern Munich manager has made.
Guardiola’s coaching credentials have never been in doubt since taking over at Barcelona in 2008 but it is his personal touch and attention to the minor details that have caught the eye of those new to his company. It has helped foster a climate of positivity that stretches from the dressing room to the terraces.
“I watch him in training and I find it brilliant to see him working the way he does and how the players respond to that,” Mike Summerbee, the former City player now operating as a club ambassador, told Herald Sport.
“They’re doing exactly what he wants them to do. You have to credit Pep as a coach. I had Malcolm Allison as my coach and he was seen as being before his time. He was very good. But Pep is really top notch. He’s hands-on with everything on the coaching field, always wanting to put his own stamp on it. It’s something special watching him get his message over. It’s only been a short time but already you can see his influence in all aspects of the club.
“I’ve met him a few times now and as a person he’s a very nice man as well. I like it when a player come off and he pats them on the back and offers congratulations, and after a game he gets everyone on the pitch – the coaching staff too – and gets them over to applaud the fans.
"And I think that’s hugely important, bringing the fans and the team closer together. It’s about being a unit and that extends off the pitch as well as on it. He’s created a new atmosphere around the club just through his personality and way of operating.”
City reached the semi-final of the Champions League last season – losing 1-0 on aggregate to eventual winners Real Madrid – and, given the start Guardiola has made, there are some supporters already eagerly anticipating the prospect of a first ever European Cup making his way to the Etihad come May. An opening 4-0 group victory over Borussia Moenchengladbach underlined their credentials, but Summerbee batted away any early talk of Champions League success.
“I don’t think Pep is focusing too much on the later stages of the competition at this point,” he added. “City will always start off every season hoping to make the final of the Champions League but ahead of a game like this away to Celtic there won’t be anyone entertaining thoughts like that. Pep knows you have to work extremely hard just to get through matches at this level. It’s natural that Celtic might feel a bit frustrated by what happened in Barcelona but there is nobody at City thinking we’re going to go up there and it will be easy.
“The Champions League is always different. Celtic will be up for it and we won’t be taking anything for granted. I know City will be approaching it the same way as if they were playing Manchester United or any Premier League club. Simple as that.”
Celtic will look to lean on the 60,000-capacity crowd to try to give them any kind of advantage over such stellar opposition but Summerbee felt the surrounds could actually work in City’s favour.
“There’s always a fantastic atmosphere at Celtic Park and it seems wherever the Celtic fans go they make a brilliant noise. Sometimes, though, it can be an advantage for the opposing team to play in such a great atmosphere. It certainly was when I played. You used to love those big occasions and even if the majority of the fans weren’t there to support your side, you still revelled in the moment. And I’m sure Pep and his players will love playing in front of a packed house at Celtic Park. These are the moments you savour as a player.
“I’m sure the Celtic fans will appreciate the way City try to play. From what I’ve seen Brendan Rodgers is trying to do the same at Celtic, passing the ball about nicely and playing attractive football. From that point of view it should be a great game to watch.”
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