Pep Guardiola has no issue with Manchester City's ageing squad if they can emulate the golden oldies of Real Madrid.
City's manager has signed a two-year extension to commit him to the club until the summer of 2027, and there is an expectation that he will lead a rebuilding of the side that have won six Premier League titles in seven years. Txiki Begiristain will be in charge until the end of this season, when Hugo Viana will join permanently from Sporting with big shoes to fill.
Guardiola staying mitigates the loss of Begiristain to keep stability in the club, although he has hinted at major changes in the playing squad. The coach also brought up in his first press conference since agreeing a new deal that there are 12 stars in what is a small squad who are over 30.
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City's boss insists that age need not be a problem for his stars if they can prove to be good enough, as Real proved in the 2021/22 season when they won the league and Champions League with a trio of midfielders in their 30s. However, just as Guardiola does not want to stay at the Etihad because of his past achievements he needs his ageing players to show why they deserve to be part of the future.
"There is a season when you buy five players, and seasons like this season when you buy one and bring Gundogan back. When everyone is fit, I think I don’t need anyone.
"I think the squad is exceptional. But we have recently had a lot of problems. But today in modern football you can’t bring in seven players for seven players. It's not the right way. For one, two or three…Txiki will help us until
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