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As the excitement of the new Premier League 2023-24 season looms, Manchester City's illustrious coach, Pep Guardiola, has expressed reservations about the team's ability to replicate their astounding success from the previous season. Manchester City, fresh off their treble triumph of the Premier League, Champions League, and FA Cup, start the new campaign as favourites across the board.
Guardiola remarked, “It feels like it finished yesterday but we start again.” As City prepares to face Burnley in the Premier League opener, the manager conveyed his sentiments on the daunting task ahead, “I don’t think it will be possible to do what we did last season, it’s once in a lifetime. I said to the players forget about it.”
Emphasizing the reset nature of a new season, Guardiola analogized, “We climbed the highest mountain last season but we have come down that mountain now. We start from the same as everyone else... it is almost impossible to repeat.”
In a press briefing, Guardiola remained tight-lipped about the buzzing transfer speculations surrounding the club. On being queried about West Ham's Lucas Paqueta, he responded, “I will not answer about Paqueta. He is a West Ham player.” Additionally, the ongoing talks about full-back Kyle Walker's association with Bayern Munich were met with Guardiola's statement, “We are wishing he stays but there is no news.”
Cole Palmer, Manchester City's emerging talent who recently netted a goal in the Community Shield against Arsenal, is reportedly being eyed for a loan by West Ham. Addressing this, Guardiola mentioned, “Cole is with us. Today he is with us. What is going to happen, I don’t know. The last decisions belong to the club.”
Guardiola's upcoming face-off against Burnley holds a special resonance as he meets his former captain, Vincent Kompany, who now helms the Clarets. Heaping praise on Kompany’s managerial skills, Guardiola observed, “Vinny knows us well and he is doing an incredible job... It will be a tough, tough game.”
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