Guardiola’s squad is packed full of driven, determined starlets – players who have been brought through the academy system like Rico Lewis and Oscar Bobb and also those snapped up in the transfer market like Jeremy Doku and Josko Gvardiol.
The boss believes working with ambitious and aspiring fledglings brings with it both football and financial incentives.
“It’s a key point. When you have changes, their age is important,” Guardiola told media at his pre-Chelsea press conference.
“We can make one signing like Mateo [Kovacic] for example, but the other ones always we try to bring young, young, young players to make his career, to start his career and make his name in world football here.
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“It’s really, really important because it’s a financial issue and also sporting. We would love to have, always still, all the legends here to still play but time passes for everyone.
“We bring Matheus [Nunes] and Josko [Gvardiol], Jeremy [Doku] and Oscar [Bobb] is with us and Rico [Lewis].
“These types of players are really important. They are here training sessions, game by game, season on season and at the end they will feel ‘I can be here’ and this is incredible value for us.
“To replace teams as we have done two or three times already and still be consistent, it works.
“It talks for itself how good Txiki [Begiristain] and Ferran [Soriano] and all the people involved in the transfers and the decisions. It is really good.”
One of the players who is making a name for himself in the blue shirt of City is Rico Lewis.
Lewis excelled in 2022/23, earning Champions League, FA Cup and Premier League medals.
The 18-year-old has started this campaign in equally compelling fashion and Guardiola waxed lyrical about him this afternoon, insisting the defender-cum-midfielder is an ‘exceptional, exceptional player’.
“If he was a little bit taller he would be considered one of the best players in the Premier League,” the boss continued.
“The problem he has is he is so small. He is an exceptional, exceptional player. He arrived last season and started to settle with us.
“He’s played at a high standard in all departments – defensively, offensively. He understands the game, the movements.
“Yeah, we are really, really pleased for academy players who can be a regular player. He already is a regular in many moments. So we are really pleased.”
City head into our latest game, against Chelsea, on the back of a comfortable 3-0 Champions League victory over Young Boys, a result which ensured our progress through to the knockout phases of the competition for the 11th consecutive season.
The manager was thrilled to achieve qualification again but warned that it shouldn’t be taken for granted despite its frequency.
“I said to the players to celebrate it because one day maybe we are not there,” the boss insisted.
“If we stop to do what we have to do, maybe the opponents are better than us and [we] will not be there.
“We have done in the past, we do not do well, you go down. And the down never ends. You can be more and more and more.
“So that’s why take a perspective, big club relax, bad moments is for every team around the world.
“Not for the fact we are named Man City and the last years have been good.”
