'Players have learned to embrace spending time on the bench'

Nigel Rothband, The Man City Show podcast, external

Despite City’s success over the last decade, they have traditionally been relatively slow starters in the Premier League, waiting until after the Christmas break to put together a run of results and overtake the leaders.

This season it’s been different and the Blues have had a good start to the campaign, sitting top of the league after just 11 games with a vastly superior goal difference.

So what’s the difference?

In his press conference this week, Pep Guardiola, said the mood in the dressing room from those not playing regularly is the best for many years.

Within a starting XI that is full of world class players it’s not possible for Pep to play, for example, both Kalvin Philips and Rodri, or Jack Grealish and Jeremy Doku, or Mateo Kovacic and Bernardo Silva, or Nathan Ake and Manual Akanji, the list goes on….

This current squad has just the right blend of youth and experience, of new blood and established players, and it looks as though they have learned to embrace the fact they are going to spend some time on the bench.

It bodes well for after Christmas when City put one of those winning runs together!

Before that there’s Young Boys, the Swiss Champions, to overcome in the Champions League. I’m confident of a convincing win that will see City progress to the knockout stages for the eleventh season in a row.

Who knows what side Pep will select on Tuesday. What we do know is the players left sitting on the bench will be happy.

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