Guardiola faces huge challenges: rebuilding Manchester City and returning to the top of the Premier League

When we look at a team, after experiencing an extremely brilliant peak period of winning everything, it will often naturally enter a relatively difficult adjustment period. The player's age, status and desire to win may all decline. The struggles Manchester City encountered last season are a very typical example. For head coach Guardiola, the challenge he faces now can be said to be the most severe one since he coached Manchester City.

Let's analyze what the problem was in Manchester City last season. The most core point is that their control in the midfield and their defense hardness have decreased significantly when they go from offense to defense. Their suffocating frontcourt pressure in the past was not as strong as before, which led to their defense being exposed to their opponents' quick counterattacks more and more easily. The game they lost to Riyadh Crescent in the Club World Cup is a very clear example.

So, what Guardiola has to do this summer is to inject new vitality into the team and rebuild the "domination" that makes all opponents feel afraid. He brought in very dynamic and creative young players like Ait Nuri, Rendez and Cherki, which is "blood swap" for the team's midfield and frontcourt.

Tactically, we can also see some clues of changes. In recent games, Manchester City played faster and more direct than ever when possessing the ball. This may be an important tactical adjustment Guardiola has prepared for the new season. He may hope to make the team's playing style more penetrating and harder to predict by speeding up the offense.

Of course, we must also see that the current competitive environment in the Premier League is unprecedentedly fierce. Liverpool is the defending champion, Arsenal is strong, and Chelsea has just won the world championship and is in full swing. For Guardiola, the challenge he faces is huge. But what makes him most powerful is his ability to build a victorious army. Now, he has new players and new tactical ideas. How to perfectly pinch these new elements together to create his next champion team will be one of the most important highlights for the new season.