Man City have won six of their opening eight Premier League matches and although they trail Arsenal by a point at the top of the table, Pep Guardiola will be feeling confident of securing a third consecutive Premier League title this season. Nevertheless, there is still work to be done, and the 51-year old will be keen for the club to take yet another step forward this campaign.
Champions League Success
Despite their recent domestic dominance, the Champions League continues to elude both Manchester City and Pep Guardiola. Their trophy cabinet is extremely well-stocked, however, despite reaching the 2021 final, the Citizens are yet to be crowned kings of Europe.
Although Pep has become a little exasperated by the continuing narrative, he appears determined to end this drought in 22/23 and his side have made a blistering start to this year’s Champions League with comprehensive victories over Sevilla and FC Copenhagen.
Having enjoyed success in the UCL with Barcelona, the Spaniard knows what it takes to succeed in Europe’s elite club competition. However, due to their domestic dominance, there is a significant amount of expectation on Manchester City with football betting sites in the UK installing the Citizens as the clear favourites to triumph in Istanbul.
Sign a Back-Up Right Back
Although he remains an incredibly reliable operator, 32-year old Kyle Walker isn’t getting any younger. The former Spurs man has played 563 minutes for the Premier League champions so far this season, yet faces a spell on the side-lines after undergoing groin surgery at the beginning of October.
Youngster Rico Lewis has been promoted to the senior squad to provide cover and Joao Cancelo is versatile enough to operate on both flanks, yet Pep will surely be keen to dip into the transfer market in January.
Walker will be hoping that his latest set-back doesn’t affect his chances of making the England World Cup squad, however, he is unlikely to be rushed back too soon.
Keep Erling Haaland Motivated
Although the requirement to keep a professional footballer motivated may sound a little odd, it’s imperative that Erling Haaland is able to maintain his focus throughout the campaign and continue to operate at the highest level.
The FIFA World Cup will be taking place throughout November and December and as one of the biggest betting events of all time, there will plenty of focus on Ilkay Gundogan’s Germany, Kevin De Bruyne’s Belgium and Joao Cancelo’s Portugal. Nevertheless, Haaland’s Norway did not qualify for the tournament and the in-form striker will be surplus to requirements for at least four weeks.
Although he is likely to partake in light training with his remaining teammates, Pep must find a way to keep his talisman focused throughout this strangest of seasons.
Improve City’s Defence
Last season, City conceded just 26 times and were breached on just four occasions across their opening nine matches. However, this time around, they’ve shipped nine goals in their first eight outings and although this has been assuaged by their unstoppable firepower, Pep will still be looking to find a way to tighten things up.
As a perfectionist, the former Bayern coach will have been concerned by the fact that his side conceded three times to both Newcastle and Manchester United as well as the Citizen’s first-half performance against Crystal Palace at the end of August.