Part 2
Finally, Sky Sports suggest that City’s average squad age indicates a period of Premier League domination.
The thoughtful research piece highlights the fact that many City stars are approaching their peak at the same time, which is bad news for the champions’ top-flight rivals.
It reads: “Will Manchester City, the first back-to-back Premier League title winners for a decade, be able to maintain their success through a similar period of transition? The good news is that the process is well underway with the signing of Rodri, surely the long-term replacement for Fernandinho, just the latest example. The age profile of the squad has already changed.
“When Pep Guardiola arrived, for all the funding available, he inherited a tricky situation. Eleven of the 22 players to start a Premier League for City in the previous season were over 30. A further five were already 28 and another, Kelechi Iheanacho, was still a teenager.
“To underline the scale of the rebuilding job, the only players in the City squad aged between 22 and 27 - regarded as the peak years for most outfield players - were Kevin De Bruyne, Fabian Delph, Eliaquim Mangala and Wilfried Bony. It was not the ideal starting point from which to deliver unprecedented success in the short term.
“The transformation has cost money, of course, but the crucial thing is that it has happened, and it has been relatively seamless. Of the nine players to feature 30 times or more for City last season, the majority are aged between 23 and 25. Add John Stones, Benjamin Mendy and Gabriel Jesus to that core group and it's a squad with stars entering their peak years.”
That’s it for this morning – more tomorrow…
Friday Gossip
Page 1 of 1
posted on 5/7/19
Part 2
Finally, Sky Sports suggest that City’s average squad age indicates a period of Premier League domination.
The thoughtful research piece highlights the fact that many City stars are approaching their peak at the same time, which is bad news for the champions’ top-flight rivals.
It reads: “Will Manchester City, the first back-to-back Premier League title winners for a decade, be able to maintain their success through a similar period of transition? The good news is that the process is well underway with the signing of Rodri, surely the long-term replacement for Fernandinho, just the latest example. The age profile of the squad has already changed.
“When Pep Guardiola arrived, for all the funding available, he inherited a tricky situation. Eleven of the 22 players to start a Premier League for City in the previous season were over 30. A further five were already 28 and another, Kelechi Iheanacho, was still a teenager.
“To underline the scale of the rebuilding job, the only players in the City squad aged between 22 and 27 - regarded as the peak years for most outfield players - were Kevin De Bruyne, Fabian Delph, Eliaquim Mangala and Wilfried Bony. It was not the ideal starting point from which to deliver unprecedented success in the short term.
“The transformation has cost money, of course, but the crucial thing is that it has happened, and it has been relatively seamless. Of the nine players to feature 30 times or more for City last season, the majority are aged between 23 and 25. Add John Stones, Benjamin Mendy and Gabriel Jesus to that core group and it's a squad with stars entering their peak years.”
That’s it for this morning – more tomorrow…
Page 1 of 1