Surprise Man City move suggests Pep Guardiola might be about to make radical change
Pep Guardiola has shaken up his backroom team before the Club World Cup and it could have an impact on how Manchester City play next season.
The whiff of change in the air at Manchester City is unmistakable. Pep Guardiola remains in charge, but around him, 2025 has so far been one of revolution as much as evolution.
A disappointing autumn led to major investment in January, and the rebuild has continued into the summer. The short pre-Club World Cup transfer window has seen four new signings arrive, taking the tally to eight new additions since the turn of the year, or nine if Claudio Echeverri is included, having linked up with his new teammates in January, a year after finalising a move from River Plate.
Kevin De Bruyne has been the most high-profile departure, but more big names are set to follow him out of the door, including Kyle Walker and Jack Grealish. It's clear that this has become a year where the pace of change has had to increase, and by the end of this summer, the City side will look totally different from the one that started the season last August.
But as much as they will look different in terms of personnel, there is also a question of how different they will look in terms of style. During City's struggles last season, one of Guardiola's more revealing comments came when he discussed the success rival teams were enjoying.
"Today, modern football is the way Bournemouth, Newcastle, Brighton and Liverpool play," Guardiola said in January. "Modern football is not positional."
What does that mean for City under Guardiola? The coach who dominated the positional game saw high-energy, high-octane teams cause him trouble at times last season. Those teams mentioned don't always have control, but they play at speed and with intensity and that was sometimes problematic.
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There is certainly a hint that Guardiola plans to adapt. The changes in his backroom team this summer are the clearest indication that we might just see a different City side from now on.
Juanma Lillo, Inigo Dominguez, and Carlos Vicens' departures left gaps that needed filling. The most high-profile move is the appointment of Jurgen Klopp's former No.2 Pep Lijnders, who effectively replaces Lillo.
That suggests a shift in approach, although Lijnders is clearly versatile. While Guardiola and Lillo were cut from the same cloth, the former Liverpool assistant favoured a more intense, maybe unstructured approach.
After failing at RB Salzburg, Lijnders might have accepted his skillset is best suited to being a No.2, and Klopp has had nothing but praise for him.
“As for Pep, wow. I have been lucky enough to meet many, many people in football during my time in the game and I don’t think I have ever met anyone with the energy and enthusiasm he has for this game," Klopp said a couple of years ago.
“I think I have said in the past, there is nothing he does not know about this sport. His passion for it is remarkable and his enthusiasm in training each day is infectious."
That energy and enthusiasm will be vital for Guardiola as he looks to jolt his side back into action, but it will be just as intriguing to see the effect Lijnders has on City's style of play.
In confirming the appointments, director of football Hugo Viana said Lijnders and fellow new arrival James French have "talent, application, work ethic and all-round commitment totally aligned with the values that underpin how Pep wants football to be played".
But it's always the case that an assistant coach will bring new ideas, as well as new energy. As Guardiola observed earlier this year, the game is changing. This could be a sign that City are intent on adapting as well.