Week’s holibobs.

Just a quick posting to say that I’m going away for a week on Thursday and, so, unless anything worthwhile commenting on happens between now and then – and I have the time – I won’t be posting anything until a pre-match one before our first Premier League game against Arsenal on Sunday 12^th August.

In the meantime…

·         From what I’ve both seen, highlights-wise and both read & heard about, I think it’s been a good pre-season tour for us; getting some of our 'regulars' back up to speed; the likes of Bernardo Silva, who continues to look awesome, and blooding-in not only new signings Riyad Mahrez & Claudio Gomes but also a whole gaggle of youngsters; some of which looked outstanding in our 3-2 comeback win against Bayern Munich in our final game in the USA, before heading back to Manchester.

·         Waiting on news of an ankle knock to Riyad Mahrez.

·         Looking forward to seeing which of the first team players who were heavily involved in the World Cup will-return-when and how they’re looking / feeling ahead of both the Community Shield but, far more importantly, our proper ‘opener’ against Arsenal.

·         Looking forward to seeing if any more of the youth, following on from Phil Foden & Brahim Diaz last season, might be around the first team squad more this season. I’m thinking that Cameron Humphreys, Douglas Luiz & Lukas Nmecha might be 3 of those…

·         Adrian Bernabe looks decent…

·         Looking forward to watching the Community Shield while on holiday.

·         Looking forward to the release of our 3^rd / cup kit? I suppose so. As for the other 2 already released, I was never a massive fan of navy socks with our home kits in the late 80s / early 90s, although I am aware, from memory / old pics, that we played for a season or two in the 60s with darker socks with a red trim back then, if you can believe that! But it’s nice enough and I do like the top in particular. As for the 2^nd / away kit, again it’s nice enough and I understand that it’s a ‘nod’ to the season that is often referred to by a lot Blues as the “Gillingham final season”. However, although that luminous-greeny-yellowy-&-navy-stripes-with-other-blue-bits kit is in the hearts of many City fans who remember that play-off final game, it’s still not “Manchester City” for me and neither is this season’s away one, as neat as it looks.

·         Looking forward to seeing if Pep will ‘stick or twist’ in the final few days of the summer transfer window (ends on 9th August for purchases - finishes at the end of the month for outgoing), in terms of will he go ‘all out’ and splash big on a defensive midfielder to relieve some pressure on Fernandinho or does he have a ‘Plan B, C & D’ in the form of players already in the squad?

I’ll finish with some pics of various City kits past & present…
 

The darker socks days in the 60s

 

And now / this season...

The 'Gillingham Final' top

And the 'nod to' that one. Does Leroy like the socks?

Remember this?! From around the same time as the 'Gillingham season' in the late 90s and, I think, a replica of a German team's kit when, from memory, we were having kit-supplyer issues.

A classic maroon one from the 1950s

Back to proper City, old school - our most recent maroon version from last season

Would have made a great 3rd-kit top if we'd not moved away from 'our colours' this season. This is a recently released Champions celebratory top. Love it!

Back to 'old school' again in a different way - this time with our "other traditional away colours" of crimson & black, for those who don't like the "R" word. Absolutely loved this one when it was unveiled at the party after our F.A. Cup win in May 2011. This fab kit was worn in the following 2011/12 season.

The fresh, the not-so and the…

…downright exhausted!

 

Okay, so they’re highly paid, very fit athletes who have all the best training, physios, nutritionists, medical care and facilities money can buy.

 

But after such a long, long season in 4 cup competitions followed by a World Cup for many, even the cold-hearted must be able to see that we, like many other top Premier League sides, are going to have players who will need extra rest / recovery time and a ‘gentle touch’ as the domestic season begins.

 

Here’s my look at who might fall into what category…

The fresh

Those who have already started in the pre-season tour, are probably in pre-season training and who should be a contender for the Community Shield v Chelsea on 5^th August / should definitely be ready for the start of our season away at Arsenal on 12^th August:

Note: Those in italic are less likely to be in Pep’s plans for most Premier League games this season / will possibly see more domestic cup action if not loaned out.

Claudio Bravo

Ederson

Tosin Adarabioyo

Danilo

Eric Garcia

Cameron Humphreys

Aymeric Laporte

Benjamin Mendy

Brahim Diaz

Phil Foden

New signing, Claudio Gomes

Ilkay Gundogan

New signing, Riyad Mahrez

Leroy Sane

Bernardo Silva

Oleksandr Zinchenko

Sergio Aguero

The not-so fresh

Those who might be fit / fresh enough to start the Premier League season; might even get a run-out in the Community Shield but will likely do so having not played in any pre-season games / just training back home in hot & sunny Manchester:

Nicholas Otamendi

David Silva

Gabriel Jesus

The exhausted

 

Vincent Kompany

Finished the season as a regular for us and was so too for Belgium, who lasted to the 2^nd-last game in the World Cup. With the need to wrap him in cotton wool anyway, I think him-missing the start of the season would be a good thing both for the player himself and for us in the long run.

John Stones

Similar to Vinny, John has a tendency to be a little bit fragile at times and had a long World Cup too; finishing the same time as our skipper.

Kyle Walker

Not so fragile but did pick up a niggle towards the end of our Premier League winning campaign. Also lasted until the near-end of the World Cup.

Kevin De Bruyne

If we want to see a fresh & firing Kevin again this season coming then I think it’ll be wise to give this fella some extra recovery time after a long season & World Cup also.

Fabian Delph

For Fabian, read John Stones. Some sleepless nights too, perhaps, with his new arrival…

Fernandinho

An almost ever present last season for City and with World Cup appearances also; I think the 33-year old and City would benefit from his boss finding someone to help fill his position early on in the season at least.

Raheem Sterling

Crackin’ season for club last season and then some much-undeserved criticism from some quarters in the World Cup. He might not like / want to sit out the Community Shield or the start of the season and seeing Riyad Mahrez taking his place for more reasons than one (one of those being that it will fuel even more ‘Sterling bashing’ in the form of, “Is this the end for Raheem at City?”). However, I think, for similar reasons to some of the above, he would benefit greatly from additional rest and being out of the limelight for a slightly longer time. Then he can shut up some of the critics and come back firing; helping his squad-colleagues to even more glory.

Strongest side to face Arsenal in ‘the opener’ IF none of those in the last category were available and IF the ‘not-so fresh’ were only ready for the bench?

Fluid 4-1-4-1:

____________________Aguero____________________

Sane____________________________________Mahrez

____________Foden___________B. Silva____________

___________________Gundogan___________________

Mendy____________________________________Danilo

_____________Laporte_____Humphreys____________

___________________Ederson_____________________

Subs: Bravo, Otamendi, Adarabioyo, Zinchenko, D. Silva, Diaz, Jesus.

I still say that’s a strong, creative & dangerous side from Gundogan upwards, with the added threat from Mendy on the left too. But it would lack ‘the glue’ & real craft in the heart of that midfield with both David & Kevin out.

The defence would, in this scenario, leave me a little jittery and if we were in the universe where this ‘freshness theory’ became reality, then I could see the start of our season ending in a 3-3 thriller!