Manchester City has recently suffered a four-game losing streak, the first time in manager Pep Guardiola’s career. After 11 Premier League matches, they are already 5 points behind the league leaders, Liverpool.
Despite the team’s recent poor performance, Sergio Aguero, City’s all-time top scorer, remains confident that his former club has a chance to win major trophies this season.
“I think Manchester City is the favorite to win all competitions, including the league title, FA Cup, Club World Cup, and Champions League,” Aguero said in an interview with Sky Sports News. “Whenever Manchester City participates in a competition, they are the favorites, but it all depends on their mindset because being the favorite all the time is not easy.”
Aguero believes that much of Manchester City’s success can be attributed to Guardiola’s leadership. “To me, Guardiola is the key figure at the club; he instills a winning mindset in the players. Sometimes winning is difficult, which is normal, but since Guardiola took over, his teams have always been at the forefront, something many people don’t see.”
“I think we must acknowledge that the reason players have a winning mindset is because of Guardiola. He is very strict and ensures the team remains consistent throughout every match of the season. We should take our hats off to him because it’s not easy to work with these players every day. He always says, ‘Come on, we need to keep winning!’ Living like that every day, you will eventually get tired, but he has been doing this for many days, months, even years. I believe this is one of the reasons why Manchester City is the favorite, as Guardiola never rests, and he never lets his players rest. To me, this is the key to any team’s success.”
Aguero also mentioned that Guardiola’s work ethic is highly professional. “He never rests, I’ve seen it with my own eyes. He always thinks ahead about the matches, and his mind works like a perfect schedule. I once asked him a question about an upcoming opponent, and he said he had everything planned out. That was two weeks before we faced that team.”
“He wants to win. If he loses, he gets very upset, so he always tries his best to ensure Manchester City remains the favorite. One of Guardiola’s strengths is that his team always displays the same style of play. Even if he loses, he tries to do this, maintaining the essence of the team. He won’t change. He always aims to win by being proactive and controlling the ball in attack. Other coaches might want their teams to be proactive and control the ball in some matches but may change in others. Guardiola never changes his style, no matter who the opponent is.”
“He will try to get the best out of you. If he sees you performing at your best, he will play you. If he sees that you can no longer contribute more to the team, he will look for another player to replace you and get what he wants.”
