Could we get off to a slow start with a world cup hangover?

[dickie davies]

No one has as many as City.

Our players are representing seven different countries, so they all won't be there till the death

 

[chaddblue]

No one has as many as City.

Very true but we’ve got (and will have more) better players to step in to ease the World Cup boys into the season

 

[avoidconfusion]

Aguero, Otamendi and Messi might be a bit tired.

Not too sure....

 

[Deleted member 77198]

I am assuming quite a few of our lads will get to the latter stages of the world cup and just noted the charity shield is something like 42 days away.

Is anyone a bit worried about how we may start the season? Wolves and Arsenal in the first 3 games is not easy and it will be very interesting to see when players return for pre season and if Pep uses a lot the players who have not been at the world cup a lot early on.

I can see Sane, LaPorte, Mahrez if he signs being absolutely pivotal early on.

Not really, if anything the World Cup is maintaining their fitness and they'll have a nice short break before getting right back into it. Having too long off is where cardiovascular fitness and proprioception is lost and pre-season training has to be harder.

Pre-season is a fucking joke now anyway. It's about marketing rather than the preparation of the players for the season. One year at Bayern Pep was allowed to call the shots for their pre-season and they had a training camp in Italy and played all their pre-season games in Germany. City (and other Prem teams) travel all over the world, play on terrible pitches, play in stupid time zones, have huge travel times, are sat down on coaches and planes too much... the preparation is fucking terrible from a player/team POV!

I'm sure if it was up to Pep at City i'd bet we'd have a training camp in Scandinavia, then play an Etihad Cup competition at the Etihad (sell tickets for a fiver and get all the non-regular local fans in and get them hooked and applying for SCs and the justification of expansion is right there!) and maybe an Aviva Trophy in Dublin. Everyone would be at the CFA getting everything they need from the club day-to-day. the USA, China, Singapore etc, can get fucked!

 

[2sheikhs]

I think most of them will be grateful to be back under a coach who knows what the fuck he is doing.

 

[jimharri]

I'm anticipating that Stones, Sterling, Delph and Walker will be very well rested as well. Aguero, Otamendi and Messi might be a bit tired.

I think they'll have plenty of rest before the season starts!

 

[Silva_Spell]

Assuming we'll be back in pre season training on the 9th of July (2 weeks today)

• 27th June - Group stage ends

7 weeks till Arsenal​

• 3rd July - RD 16 ends

6 weeks till Arsenal​

• 7th July - QF ends - Cut off date to face Arsenal?

5.5 weeks till Arsenal​

• 9th July - City preseason training begins

5 weeks​

• 14th July - 3rd vs 4th playoff

• 15th July - World Cup Final

4 weeks​

• 20th July - 1st City friendly

3 weeks​

• 5th August - Charity Shield vs Chelsea

1 week​

• 11th August - PL opener vs Arsenal

Assuming WC players will ideally get at least 2 weeks holiday and 3 weeks training before playing we'll probably only see players who were eliminated in the Quarter Finals or earlier vs Arsenal. Players who got to the SF who didn't play m/any minutes might be back earlier, not sure.

If England don't get knocked out before the SF we're probably gonna have an issue at FB - assuming France & Brazil go further. Tho we could play Zinchenko if he isn't sold/loaned by then - we could still let him go after the PL transfer window closes, of course.

Reckon by the 3rd game of the season we'll be at 100% squad strength. The FA couldn't have handpicked a dodgier opening 2 fixtures for us given Arsenal will have everyone fresh, brand new era etc. and Huddersfield were arguably our toughest opponent last season if you combine the games.