A visibly recharged Pep Guardiola says he has rediscovered the spark to attack another Premier League season.
However he knows that he must change his approach to get the best out of his Manchester City squad, what with players returning late and an extra-long season.
Guardiola was understandably exhausted at the end of last season, having had to squeeze every last iota of energy from his already overworked, valiant Manchester City players, until even season concluding FA cup final against bitter rivals Manchester United was one game too many.
When the season finally came to a close, the Spaniard needed a rest, even if his players couldn’t have one over the summer. So the former Barcelona icon made a hasty retreat back to Barcelona, caught up with his old Barcelona B team for a heartwarming reunion, and brought out his golf clubs and played some golf, needless to say. He then spent some time in the USA, taking in a Boston Celtics game courtside, getting the inside low-down on their play-off tactics from coach Joe Mazzulla.
“Of course, when you arrive end of season always you are tired,” he reflected.
“But when you fight for titles you are less tired. All of us, when you take a break in your job, disconnect and come back – it’s necessary. To work better you have to disconnect and relax and do other things. When you are resting, you are working.”
Guardiola makes sure his City players get time off whenever he can do so in the season, having already pre-calculated that the current campaign could last 12 months from the first day of pre-season to a possible Club World Cup final. With that bigger picture firmly on his mind, Guardiola is already prioritising rest for his Euros stars for the opening fixtures of the season – even if it risks weakening his side temporarily in the process.
“We have to [be ready]. I don’t know what is going to happen. Everyone knows that we are not in the best conditions but it doesn’t matter,” he sighed.
“The desire and vibes of the team is strong and we are together doing what we have to do. I don’t think there are a lot of teams that right now is perfect. From my experience, the season is so long and the important thing is that the players are ready especially mentally [for a long season] and for that you need rest.”
He is well aware that the schedule will place his players in a difficult position, but he himself needs to remain fresh, too.
He made noises at the end of the season that he could leave at the end of his contract. One more year would be enough, he said then, clearly feeling the fatigue. However, this summer has seen him reurning refreshed and has since backtracked a little on his earlier sentiments, clarifying his comments and saying words to the effect of: ‘if you love your job, why should you stop.’
The expectation reamins that he will call time on his City career next summer, but there are tantalising hints that he could further extend his contract. It’s surely an engaging topic that will dominate the whole season until a decision is made either way.