Six Manchester City players that will improve significantly under Pep Guardiola

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Kevin De Bruyne

Prior to his injury De Bruyne was enjoying an incredible debut season in Manchester. In 32 games this season he has 13 goals and 9 assists to his name, not bad after being considered not good enough by Jose Mourinho at Chelsea. He was heavily linked with Bayern Munich last summer before his £54.5 million move to Manchester. Had it not been for the money Wolfsburg were demanding for his signature he could be plying his trade for the German club.

David Silva is potentially the best player to ever pull on the sky blue shirt, but he has shown signs of ageing this season. Hampered by injuries for the past year or so, his form as suffered as a result. He is not currently the player that as delighted the Etihad crowd for nearly six years and although he could still be an incredible asset over the coming years, he may not be relied upon as heavily to be the creative outlet. De Bruyne will be the player to pick up the mantel from ’’El mago’’ in a similar position behind Aguero.

The Belgian will become the heartbeat of this team and, even though it’s a lofty appraisal, I have no doubts that, after a full season with Guardiola, De Bruyne will be approaching the rarefied air currently occupied by Lionel Messi.

Samir Nasri

Next season could finally see Nasri reach his lofty potential; on the other hand he could be one of the first casualties of the Guardiola era. What will happen to the 28-year-old this summer is possibly the hardest to predict. He could be a great asset, but has spent a large chunk of the last 18 months on the treatment table. I know Arsene Wenger and Manuel Pellegrini, two very seasoned and extremely well respected managers, have failed to get the best out of the Frenchman, but imagine if Pep could be the manager to sort the attitude and motivational problems that have disrupted a career filled with incredible promise, but never consistently more.

So much of Guardiola’s game plan centres on keeping the ball away from the opposition, so there is a lesser need for two combative midfielders. Nasri has the skillset to play in a similar way to Thiago Alcantra at Bayern, or even Andres Iniesta, alongside Fernandinho in City’s engine room. I’m not for a second suggesting that Nasri has reached the levels achieved by Iniesta, or arguably even Thiago, but there is no doubting his talent.

If, and it is a big if, he can achieve a higher level of consistency the former Marseille midfielder would transition from forgotten man to integral component.

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