A tale of Yaya, Kompany, David Silva, Fernandinho and Aguero.
Part one concluded in Pep's first season when Clichy, Kolarov, Sagna and the war-horse Zabaleta were replaced. That season was disconcerting. Was Guardiola Fraudiola? Many believed he had been found out but replacements were found in Stones, Walker, Laporte, Mendy, Zinchenko and Delph. Injury struck down Mendy but City prospered. Yaya who had been marking time for some while finally departed, and Kevin de Bruyne blossomed.
Two glorious seasons were to follow, and here we are. Time has marched on. Last season Kompany retired. It didn't feel so bad at the time. Tears were shed but City fans were confident. Laporte and Stones had effectively replaced him. Kompany played at the end of the season to see us home but for much of the season we had coped well without him. Of course, sod's law struck, and Laporte was taken out through injury and City have been left exposed, and all this in what will be David Silva's last season and possibly Fernandinho's too. Aguero is 31. Collectively the final guard of Mancini's great side has reached the end of the line.
We see the problems every time City play a fast high tempo opponent. Chelsea and Man Utd overwhelmed City in midfield in the first half an hour. Rodri has come in. He is a fine footballer but he is slow. He may yet have a huge role in a City side if City can find young legs to compliment him.
I hear people clamouring for Foden to start. I am one, but I wonder why Pep resists? He sees him every day. Perhaps physically he is not quite ready? As it is we really do not know if at Premier League level he can handle a Chelsea or Man Utd.
We knew this was coming. It's always very difficult to transition from one great side to another, and injury to Laporte has made life much more difficult, but Pep did this once before in his first season at City. This time we are further down the line than before. We can see the replacements are close to coming through.
I hope that Laporte's return stabilises City's season and the season ends up back at Wembley as it has so many times before. That would be a fitting stage for another farewell, and a key date in the evolution of this City side.
We can see now that change is required. Clearly, Pep must see it too but deems that the young players are not quite ready to take their place. The preparatory work in developing Foden, and young defenders has been done. Rodri has been bought. It is only now a matter of time, and we mjst hope that Foden develops into the player we all believe he wiil be.
Part one concluded in Pep's first season when Clichy, Kolarov, Sagna and the war-horse Zabaleta were replaced. That season was disconcerting. Was Guardiola Fraudiola? Many believed he had been found out but replacements were found in Stones, Walker, Laporte, Mendy, Zinchenko and Delph. Injury struck down Mendy but City prospered. Yaya who had been marking time for some while finally departed, and Kevin de Bruyne blossomed.
Two glorious seasons were to follow, and here we are. Time has marched on. Last season Kompany retired. It didn't feel so bad at the time. Tears were shed but City fans were confident. Laporte and Stones had effectively replaced him. Kompany played at the end of the season to see us home but for much of the season we had coped well without him. Of course, sod's law struck, and Laporte was taken out through injury and City have been left exposed, and all this in what will be David Silva's last season and possibly Fernandinho's too. Aguero is 31. Collectively the final guard of Mancini's great side has reached the end of the line.
We see the problems every time City play a fast high tempo opponent. Chelsea and Man Utd overwhelmed City in midfield in the first half an hour. Rodri has come in. He is a fine footballer but he is slow. He may yet have a huge role in a City side if City can find young legs to compliment him.
I hear people clamouring for Foden to start. I am one, but I wonder why Pep resists? He sees him every day. Perhaps physically he is not quite ready? As it is we really do not know if at Premier League level he can handle a Chelsea or Man Utd.
We knew this was coming. It's always very difficult to transition from one great side to another, and injury to Laporte has made life much more difficult, but Pep did this once before in his first season at City. This time we are further down the line than before. We can see the replacements are close to coming through.
I hope that Laporte's return stabilises City's season and the season ends up back at Wembley as it has so many times before. That would be a fitting stage for another farewell, and a key date in the evolution of this City side.
We can see now that change is required. Clearly, Pep must see it too but deems that the young players are not quite ready to take their place. The preparatory work in developing Foden, and young defenders has been done. Rodri has been bought. It is only now a matter of time, and we mjst hope that Foden develops into the player we all believe he wiil be.