Manchester City can’t recreate ‘once in a lifetime’ treble win: Pep Guardiola


Pep Guardiola, Manchester City’s manager, has expressed doubt that his team will be able to match the extraordinary record set in last season’s treble-winning performance.

This statement came ahead of their Premier League kick off against Burnley. Manchester City have dominated the Premier League arena, claiming five out of the last six titles. They also took home the FA Cup and the Champions League trophy for the first time last season. Despite the team’s impressive track record, Guardiola was cautious in projecting this season’s performance.

He stated, “It will not be possible to do what we did last season, it is once in a lifetime.” He elaborated on their challenge, “Everyone has the same intention and there will be a lot of difficulties to climb the mountain as high as possible. Our football, our level, our mentality will dictate how the season will be.”

In their first game, City will encounter Vincent Kompany, former City captain and now manager of Burnley. Under Kompany, Burnley won promotion by seizing the second-tier Championship.

Guardiola praised Kompany’s transformative leadership at Burnley and predicted a challenging match-up: “The first game for the champions is so difficult. You need time to reset and we have to come back to where we were.”

The City manager also mentioned that Josko Gvardiol, a recent acquisition from RB Leipzig, might make his debut in the match against Burnley. Gvardiol was signed for a staggering 90 million euros (USD 99.15 million) last week.

“He’s ready. He’s settled in well. Nathan Ake is ready too,” Guardiola said.

Guardiola also mentioned an impending signing of England under-20 midfielder Aaron Ramsey from Aston Villa. Despite the setup, Friday’s match promises high tensions and high stakes, a fitting kick-off for the Premier League season.

Published On:

Aug 10, 2023





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