Manchester City

Xabi Alonso: 'Pep Guardiola will make Manchester City players better'

By Barney Corkhill, Editor | 22 July 2016

Bayern Munich midfielder Xabi Alonso believes that Manchester City's players will improve under Pep Guardiola if they are open to his "very different" training methods.

Bayern Munich midfielder Xabi Alonso has insisted that Pep Guardiola will improve the players at Manchester City during his tenure.

Guardiola ended a three-year stint at Bayern to challenge himself in the Premier League, taking over from Manuel Pellegrini at a side that finished fourth in the league last season.

Alonso warned that the City players should expect a "very different" method of training, but believes that if they buy into it then they will learn a lot from the former Barcelona player and manager.

"Pep's training is very different and the players will have to get used to how he likes to talk to them. He wants to give players the tools to be better. Part of this is the anticipation of what is going to happen in the game. He wants you to think more about the game. He taught me so much in two years and he makes you understand even more about football," Alonso told The Telegraph.

"I learnt a lot from him and if the City players are open-minded and listen to Pep they will learn from playing under him as well and become better players because of working for him. It is an emphasis on the details around football that he focuses on, the smallest of things.

"As a midfielder it was perfect for me because he was also a midfielder, so I could learn a lot from him. He thinks a lot about the game and wants to give the solutions to the players and for the players to feel the solutions for themselves so they can perform better. That is a great help as a player."

Guardiola will face Sunderland at the Etihad Stadium in his first competitive match as City boss.