Players from other teams have been searching for fresh possibilities this summer, not only those from Manchester City.
Ilkay Gundogan moved for Barcelona, taking with him a longer contract and the opportunity for a new challenge at a crucial juncture in his career. While marginal players like Sergio Gomez and Kalvin Phillips have sworn to stay at the Etihad and fight for a spot under Pep Guardiola, Aymeric Laporte, Bernardo Silva, and Kyle Walker are all said to be leaving City in quest of greater playing time.
It may be a summer of many on-pitch incomings and outgoings with Mateo Kovacic already taking Gundogan’s place and City putting in an offer for Declan Rice before withdrawing. The public wants a new midfielder, but any additions will probably rely on who else departs before the transfer window closes.
There will be some changes off the pitch as well. After nine years at the City Football Academy, assistant manager Rodolfo Borrell is the latest City coach to depart with the club’s approval.
Number two in terms of reliability Borrell replaces fellow assistant Enzo Maresca, who left to become Leicester manager in June after returning to City last summer where he had previously served as the club’s under-23 head coach. Borrell joins Austin FC in the MLS as Sporting Director.
Due to the departure of both of Guardiola’s assistants, City must now replace both important coaching and playing personnel. Mikel Arteta is an apparent example of an assistant who has excelled after establishing himself as a good coach under Guardiola. It’s not anything City haven’t done before. Before Arteta, Domenec Torrent worked as an assistant; since then, he has managed New York City, Flamengo, and Galatasaray.
Juanma Lillo, who was brought in to replace Arteta, has a chance to reclaim his previous position as Guardiola’s assistant. Lillo made a comeback to monitor training prior to Real Madrid’s Champions League semi-final second leg, and he was also present prior to the team’s victory over Inter Milan in Istanbul. He was currently the manager of Al Sadd in Qatar, but he would have to sever relations with them before going back to the Etihad, and Maresca’s departure would leave a vacancy.
Over the years, Guardiola has placed a lot of trust in his coaches, allowing them to lead training sessions and contribute to tactical schemes. Carlos Vicens, a former under-18 coach, has boosted City’s set piece output in both boxes since joining the senior coaching staff, for instance, and other coaches specialise in different areas. During bad streaks, Lillo is credited with keeping Guardiola composed and the players’ morale up.
The only post the manager must select is his assistant coach, according to Guardiola in 2020.
“Perhaps there are conversations about the players the club needs to purchase, and the club makes a decision in front of you, which you must accept. But the coworker you have? He must be very near. You must make a choice. Nobody else can impose it on you.
Additionally, Guardiola has spoken on the value of his working relationships with his assistants at City and his former teams, adding that [Lillo] “helped me to be more relaxed. He helps me stay cool so that I can better read circumstances when I express myself too strongly at times.
“He [Lillo] helps me a lot, and Rodo [Borrell] as well. We make a good backroom staff, Rodo has been here since day one and he helps me a lot in organising sessions and even in the game seeing what happened because I need help for the things I am not able to see or help.
“That’s why they are here and like with Mikel, Dome [Torrent] and Tito Vilanova before I need their advice and support because they see things that I am not able to. It helps me to control my emotions and understand.”
The importance of a trusted new assistant could be pivotal in shaping City’s treble defence.
The recruitment of a new Head of Academy after Jason Wilcox transferred to Southampton to serve as their Director of Football could also be considered. The dynamics of the task at hand significantly changed when that position was secured prior to the Saints’ relegation, but City nonetheless offered Wilcox a dignified send-off in appreciation of the work accomplished while he was in charge of the academy.
With Phil Foden, Cole Palmer and Rico Lewis becoming first team players, plus many others getting senior debuts, City’s academy is one of the most productive in English football. The under-21s and under-28s have both won their respective divisions for three years in a row, while they have also won the FA Youth Cup in recent seasons. Importantly, the academy is bringing in tens of millions in transfer fees and sell-on clauses each year.
Getting Wilcox’s successor right will determine how City continue building on their academy successes. The ultimate aim is to provide players for the first team, and coaches last season were aware that fewer players made their debuts than in previous seasons. Still, Lewis played a crucial role in the season, and Shea Charles got a debut on the final day of the campaign. The academy are clearly on the right track, with a desire to always better the achievements of the year before.
With plenty of focus on who can arrive in the first team, maybe the more important new arrivals will be off the pitch. Guardiola – and City – know that bringing in the right people to let their talented players shine will be just as vital as building the senior squad for next season.