Man City: Can Pep Guardiola and his side bounce back from last season?

Last season will have been a shock to Guardiola, finishing outside of the top two for only the second time in 15 seasons as manager at City, Barcelona and Bayern Munich.

Starting a 10th season with City, the 54-year-old is currently the Premier League's longest-serving boss and has said he will take a break from management once he leaves.

Like the great Sir Alex Ferguson did over at neighbours Manchester United, Guardiola will need to show he still has the desire to re-energise himself and his team in an attempt to overthrow Arne Slot's Liverpool and return to the summit again.

Not only has the playing squad been refreshed, but the coaching staff too. Jurgen Klopp's former Liverpool assistant Pep Lijnders has joined in a similar role, and set-piece coach James French has also arrived from the Reds, while Kolo Toure was promoted from the youth set-up.

But former City and Liverpool midfielder Dietmar Hamann has cast doubt over whether Guardiola has the ability to go again, telling BBC Radio 5 Live: "When a season starts, you've got to light a fire in a team, with the fans, and make people believe. And I'm not sure he's got that fire any more.

"I'm not sure they're going to win another big title under Guardiola. I'd be surprised, to be honest."

Spanish football expert Guillem Balague added: "The fire that we see now - what we see in his eyes, in the jokes with his players and how he returned refreshed from the summer - can that continue until the end of the season?

"He has a two-year contract until 2027 and 100% by the end of the two years he will not continue with club football. But nobody can say that may not happen earlier, that this could be his last season.

"Is he excited because it is his last season or is it because he really feels he has a team in his hands which he can mould and create a new Manchester City, a third version?

"If he sees himself having the ability to continue then we will see a second year but we will not see a third. We are seeing the end of Pep Guardiola as a manager."

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