Development:
Talking about development of players, the Chairman was enthusiastic. Raheem Sterling is a perfect case in point when seeing how Pep has brought on players who were already at the club when he arrived. John Stones too is a player who Pep loves, and the young Englishman understands the way a center-back needs to play in a Pep Guardiola system.
Neither player gets too much credit, but they are both still young. Leroy Sane is now showing more confidence than last season, and it’s down to Guardiola’s encouragement. Fabian Delph is the biggest win for City though. Slightly older than many of the side, he converted well into a left back.
For the future we do have a quality in the Academy, which is starting to bare fruit. Phil Foden, Brahim Diaz, Tosin Adarabioyo and Lukas Nmecha all got minutes with the first team this season. The first two, Foden and Diaz, picking up winners medals as a result.
The U-19’s got far in the Champions League, defeated by Barcelona’s U-19’s 5-4 which is no disgrace. And they did that without Foden and Diaz who were Cup tied because they were involved in the first team.