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Pep Guardiola and Manchester City began the quest to get the maiden trophy that ever so eludes their much glamorous cabinet.
In the last decade, Man City has bagged the greatest number of accolades in England, and although last season came easy with an eleven-point lead ahead of their neighbors, Manchester United, they fell short when it came to the champions league.
Manchester City scored 6 past Leipzig, a tough opponent in their debut this season, showing their attacking prowess in a nine-goal thriller.
But, has Manchester City and Pep come of age and are they ready to take Europe by storm?
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Manchester City midfielder Fernandinho lifts the Premier League trophy
I think so and here is why:-
Pep has managed to keep the same team with minimal changes.
As you know, with the induction of Jack Grealish as the only major change to an already star-studded functioning powerhouse, City are only going to get better.
His depth in every position will help the team in the later stages as they would not be affected by fatigue.
Just like the maiden Barcelona that Pep led, a clear indication that if you keep a team intact for several years, they end up being a solid unit that everyone would like to beat.
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Manchester City's Jack Grealish scored against Norwich
Most Man City players were gracing the finals in Europe for the first time, and lack of experience at that stage played a huge part in how man city performed in the finals.
They were not comfortable on the ball and Chelsea managed to be more dangerous. With the very much needed experience, Pep and his army are now ready to come back and conquer the whole world.
Second, Pep has time to mix and match before the later stages of the competition and thereby get a constant goal scorer.
He missed on Harry Kane who would have been and immediate game changer but knowing Pep he has enough to sort out that problem.
The only striker Pep has, Gabriel Jesus, is now doing immensely well from the wing position. You never know what pep has in store.
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Despite the unpredictability of guaranteeing a player’s health, minimizing a player's time on the pitch plays a great part in keeping them healthy.
Guardiola has been managing Kevin de Bruyne’s minutes on the pitch with the later stages of the season.
Keeping KDB fit will be a major booster for Man City’s attack, as he is always the team's wild card.
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Manchester City's Kevin de Bruyne
John Stones and Ruben Diaz have formed an incredible partnership at center back. And this only took shape this season.
Having a full season under their belt, this season with the dynamic duo makes Man City formidable.
This led City to the league title but just fell short on the European stage. Watch out for the partnership between the two, they will better what was already the best defense in England last season.
Man City are still favorites for the trophy despite the fact that they haven’t had a lot of marquee signings in comparison to the other teams this season. Once beaten, twice shy.
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Pulse Contributor Master Omamo
The foregoing is an Opinion Article submitted to Pulse Live Kenya for publication as part of the Pulse Contributors initiative.
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Master Omamo is a passionate sports player and writer, with the liking for detail and experiencing new sports.