Manchester City: Only 2 Players from Guardiola’s First Ever Squad Are Still with The Club

• Manchester City have undergone massive changes since Pep Guardiola took charge of the club in 2016
• The Spaniard has overseen commendable success at the club, with the latest being a famous treble
• His first-ever starting XI as Man City boss have taken different paths in football, but two are still with the club

In football, a lot can change in just one season, as every summer clubs tend to switch up their squads through departures and purchases.

Manchester City is no exception, as there have also been significant changes to the squad over the years.

One thing that has remained consistent, however, is City’s potency in terms of winning silverware under Pep Guardiola.

The Spaniard is heading into his seventh campaign as City boss, with the hopes of replicating his success in the 2022/23 campaign that’s saw him win a coveted treble.

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While some critics have argued that Guardiola’s brilliance as a manager is largely dependent on the strength of his squad, this is not necessarily the case since the former Barcelona man has a knack of tweaking his teams to suit the agenda at hand.

Guardiola’s first Man City squad

On the other hand, there could be some truth in the notion that Guardiola cannot win titles with a random squad, which is practically what he had in his first season at the Etihad.

Having taken charge from Manuel Pelligrini, Guardiola inherited a squad that was quite talented, but it wasn’t necessarily one that could perfectly suit his style of play.

Sports Brief takes a look at some of the players in Guardiola’s first games at City, and where they are now.

Willy Caballero

The 41-year old has somehow managed to keep himself afloat in his career and currently plays for Southampton, who were recently relegated.

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Bacary Sagna

The former Man City man is currently retired, and was unable to replicate his form that saw him become a formidable force at Arsenal.

John Stones

John Stones has gone from strength to strength under Guardiola, and is still an integral part of the squad, seven years later.

Aleksander Kolarov

Kolarov is retired, but no one can forget how influential he was in Manuel Pelligrini’s success at Manchester City. He is currently sporting director of Italian Serie B club Pisa.

Gaël Clichy

Clitchy is another former Arsenal man who moved to Manchester City, but barely lasted a year in Guardiola’s regime, leaving the Etihad in 2017.

He currently plays for Swiss side Servette at the age of 37.

Fernandinho

The Brazilian was one of the more important players in Guardiola’s regime, winning several titles with the club.

He left City in 2022 to join Athletico Paranaense in his native Brazil.

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David Silva

Silva, like Fernandinho, was also a key playmaker in midfield for Pep Guardiola.

After much success, the midfield maestro joined Real Sociedad in 2020 and is currently still with the club at the age of 37.

Raheem Sterling

Guardiola somehow transformed Sterling into a goal machine during their years at Manchester City as the England winger managed over 100 goals for the club before sealing a £47.5m to Chelsea in the summer of 2022.

Sergio Aguero

Aguero, the club’s all-time goal scorer, left Man City in 2021.

He had a brief stint at Barcelona before a heart condition forced him into retirement.

Kevin de Bruyne

The former Wolfsburg man is the other player aside from John Stones, who is still with Manchester City as at June 2023.

To say De Bruyne has been crucial to Guardiola’s success would be an understatement as his brilliance in attacking positions have proven to be the difference between wins and losses on numerous occasions.

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Nolito

The Spaniard only lasted one season under Pep Guardiola before eventually leaving for the La Liga where he played for Sevilla and Celta Vigo.

He currently plays for second-tier side Ibiza.

Man City’s 2016/17 season

Guardiola won league titles in his debut campaigns with Barcelona and Bayern Munich, but things were different in the Premier League.

In the 2016/17 campaign, he could only managed a third place finish, behind Champions Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur, who claimed second place.

As reported on Independent.co.UK, Guardiola was the first to admit the season was a ‘disaster’, as his side were knocked out of the Champions League in the last 16, and there was also no success in the league cup and FA Cup.