Lothar Matthaus: Pep Guardiola has changed Manchester City in just a few short weeks… and Joe Hart and Yaya Toure never stood a chance
Former Barcelona and Bayern Munich manager has completely changed City's style of play just 10 games into his tenure
Manchester City face Celtic on Wednesday night in the Battle of Britain Champions League clash.
Here, SunSport columnist Lothar Matthaus looks at where the game could be won and lost.
PEP'S LOT TOO HOT TO HANDLE
IT has only taken a few weeks but now we can all see the Pep Guardiola style.
He has changed things very quickly and the great thing for Manchester City is that, offensively, he has players who can understand what he wants — fast and technically good players.
Guardiola likes footballers who can pass the ball, who have eyes for the best position and the right runs. Pep could hardly ask for more from his players but he will know this is not the end.
He will expect and demand more from all of them.
I said in the Euros that Raheem Sterling was a fantastic prospect but he needed a manager to unlock his quality. Guardiola has done what Roy Hodgson couldn’t do but he has to continue to develop.
Kevin De Bruyne will be a miss for the next few weeks because he’s been Pep’s key player.
In the last 30 metres of the pitch he has great speed of thought and movement and the ability to make the killer pass or shoot. He has the ability to make the difference.
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So what does he do? Well, Leroy Sane is a typical Guardiola player. But he hasn’t got the experience to be a starter yet.
He is one for the future and a Pep favourite — fast and smart, who must start wide but can come inside. He has the exact creativity Guardiola wants to see.
But, for now, David Silva and Ilkay Gundogan will be the two in the centre, with Sterling on the right and Nolito on the left. I can’t see Celtic being able to handle them.
SWEEPING CHANGES
I SAID in the summer I couldn’t see a place for Yaya Toure or Joe Hart in Pep Guardiola’s system.
Pep football relies on one No 6 rather than two in midfield and what he needed was a keeper who could play football and a No 6 who could run the game from that deep position.
It isn’t about age — he had Xabi Alonso there for Bayern — but about the profile of the player.
Joe Hart was sent out on loan to Torino with Claudio Bravo his replacment
The Guardiola 4-1-4-1 is about attacking teams early, immediately, to get to the box as quickly as they can.
You can do that when you have the line of four behind Aguero that City have — and they press so hard that the other team ends up knocking long, which makes it easy.
They are already doing a great job, with Fernandinho alone behind the four.
He knows his job is to be the sweeper in front of the back four, allowing Silva, Gundogan, Sterling and De Bruyne to then play.
It’s a different style of football. You have two sweepers — one between the lines and one behind them.
Claudio Bravo is the second sweeper. His starting position is 15 metres higher up the pitch than Hart’s would be.
Fernandinho has been excellent in his deeper midfield role
DEFENCE A CEL UP
CITY’S attack is really good, although I still think you can give them problems defensively.
You need to get in behind their defensive midfielder Fernandinho and attack the back line.
But I don’t see how Celtic will be able to do that against them — if they get on the ball at all.
The Scots are the complete outsiders in the group and we all saw why in Barcelona.
I don’t think it will be as bad for them as in the Nou Camp.
Conceding seven is an exceptional night and they are at home.
But it is going to be an easy game for City.
LOTHAR'S PREDICTION: Celtic 0 Manchester City 3
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