If City only got two more players I think it would a CB and a deep lying CM that's creative but not poor defensively, just like Gundogan who seems to break his leg every season. I'm guessing they would splash around 85m on Verratti.
He needs to win the league, forget winning just a cup competition. City are insane and will probably spend £65m on VVD, then £85m on Verratti and potentially £55-60m on Sanchez. He'll have his dream team and any manager should be able to steer that team to a league title. If he doesn't he'll get the sack, forget all of this "Pep is building his project at City and needs a couple of seasons" nonsense.
The biggest problem that Pep will face & I am quoting this from the summary of few of the best ever - Harbart Champan, Bill Shankley, Brian Clough, Sir Alex, Arigo Sachhi or Trapatoni - superstar ego. You can't keep a squad happy if it's full of whose who. Apart from Sir Alex, rest are from a bit olden age, when club football still was about building a team, rather than buying it. This is how Sir Alex explained his philosophy to cater the issue -
Managing a team like MU, the biggest challenge I faced was meeting expectations for every stake holders. We'll have to win trophies, we'll have to play exciting football, we'll have to keep a balance in our budget & we'll have to keep a happy squad. ........ because we are Manchester United
My biggest success in MU was probably to keep a solid squad, a happy squad & a performing cohesive unit, where the shirt came first.
Being a bitter MU hater, I kept analyzing Sir Alex's transfer activities probably more than Liverpool & I can explain how he kept that juggernaut going.
To keep a team that can run till 91st minute or the 10th month of a season, what one needs is a solid squad that has quality back-ups in every spot & and every player knows what they should expect from Manager more than anything else. Now, how can you make a solid squad of 25 players without upsetting your 2nd XI? These players are almost as good as your 1st team, probably'll make starting XI of most other teams, but they are quite happy to seat on MU bench - why & how?
A player gets upset (to seat on bench at his prime) for few reasons - 1. if he is sidelined for an inferior or similar player 2. if his international spot is at risk for match time, 3. if he is under paid & 4. if he isn't winning any much (trophies). Now, Sir Alex never had double standard with his players - he didn't like Beckham's larger than life image - he sold him. The moment, he found Real is over paying for CR, he simply off loaded him. His team was winning lot, while he never compromised for deserving wage of his players - if someone asks more than what he thought worth, he'll simply off load him, while he broke the wage cap for 18 years old CR.
So, it left only with one BIG issue - players upset to sit on bench. To cater that, he made sure that his starting XI is absolute top class - distinctively the best 13/14 players of the squad. Therefore, unless unfit, or a tactical change - his first XI was unanimous. But, the International spot issue was there - he solved it brilliantly & there is the difference with Sir Alex & others. In his team of top class players top football nations, he maintained a bench of players from smaller football nations - these players were so good that they can easily replace the 1st XI players, but their National team wasn't strong enough, so that without much match time, these players will lose their International spot.
If we analyze his squad - he had world class players at key spots - GK, CB, Wing Back, CN/DM, wingers, forwards .... his starting XI were fulls super stars from England, France, Brazil, Holland, Germany, Argentine.... But, his back-ups were top, top players of the 2nd rated International teams - Ole Guna, Dwite York, Hernandes, Fortune, Pak Sun, Irwin, Fletcher, Hughes, Giggs, Keene .... these are top to world class players, and they were happy to be second fiddle, win trophies at great pay, but without jeopardizing their International cap. Some of these players were good enough for 1st team, but the philosophy is understandable. This made Sir Alex's squad most united, happy & committed - no wonder, he won 13 EPL for the Fregi time & their relentless change after Christmas every year.
Here, Pep has everything - charisma, class, tactics, style, philosophy .... and he is indeed a great, great man manager tactician. BUT, I am afraid, his team is going to fail - not because of quality or his lack of understanding of EPL; rather because he has called in trouble by himself. He can't keep his squad happy & functioning where Colombia, Brazil & English 1st choice GK is going to fight for one spot; where one of Danilo or Walker will be warming bench (which'll result in warming their national bench as well); one of Mangala, Stones or Kompany will be sitting almost whole season in a WC year, because you hardly rotate your CB pairing. Up front, it's Brazil, Italy (Verati) & German starting CM fights for that one No. 6 spot - make it 4, if Yaya stays; while one of Brazil & Arges No. 9 will have to play at wings or wait for his turn. He can't start Sterling, both Silva, Sane at wings and this is WC year - these players will lose their starting spot for Russia, if they don't start in league or CT matches regularly. And, Pep can't rotate his starting XI constantly to keep everyone happy.
One of the bitter truth of club football is - Money doesn't buy success, but without spending adequately, you don't even have a shot at it. I might be wrong, but here, I feel Pep couldn't find a balance between money & squad management - at Barca, by default he had 6/7 starter from that Spanish team & Messi; but he failed to manage such luxury at Bayern - ended up playing top players out of their best positions. While our Manager Klopp is doing the opposite - and he is paid bonuses for his lip service; probably 4th window he is going to earn Yanks a net positive from transfer & comprehensively out spent by Everton for last 2 years.......... and then, he'll start with 2/3 make shifts (because money couldn't find players in universe that fits his style).
