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Pep Guardiola has spoken a lot with Hugo Viana in the first week that the new Manchester City sporting director has been in the building
Pep Guardiola has told Hugo Viana to give him the blunt truth about the Manchester City squad before the summer transfer window. The City boss has spent the season defending his players but does not want the Blues to fall behind when they should be looking to the future.
Hugo Viana arrives at the Etihad in one of the most important roles at one of the most important junctions in years. In the summer he will replace long-serving sporting director and key Guardiola ally Txiki Begiristain, who is leaving after 12 years in Manchester.
Begiristain has often been seen as the yin to Guardiola’s yang, calming the manager over their morning coffees to give the coach a new perspective and energy for the tasks ahead. Having backed his friend to succeed in England, he has been a large part of why Guardiola has stayed so long.
However much City’s coach has enjoyed their time together, he has been encouraged by Viana’s first week in the building working full-time for the Blues.
“With Txiki, we were together playing in Barcelona as almost teenagers. We’ve shared a life,” he said. “No two relations are the same.
“What I’ve experienced in a short time (with Viana) is that it will be so easy to communicate together. So easy. He’s a perfect replacement.
“The vision, the way we talk, the composure like Txiki – no stress, not like me – and the balance is calm. Hopefully he can express himself.”
Viana may have only just started permanently but he met with Begiristain in the January window and his influence could be seen in the signing of young Brazilian defender Vitor Reis from Palmeiras. Reis has only had a brief introduction to Premier League football, although he is seen as a player for years to come.
Guardiola wants Viana to be fresh eyes for a squad that has been accused of going stale, asking him to speak up and be vocal about the changes that need to be made if City are to get back to the top.
“I’ve asked him to forget about what we have done,” he said. “We need your vision. You don’t come here to just follow what we’ve done in the past.
“Let’s talk, what you see about the team over many months watching us, what we can do better. Opinions back and forth and then the best opinions.
“I don’t want a club that it’s (just about) the manager all the time. We don’t work like that, I rely a lot on my sporting directors.
“They give me the players they believe are the best for the team. We have to lift them and get the best from them.”
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Published: 2025-04-12 03:00:00 | Author: [email protected] (Simon Bajkowski) | Source: MEN – Sport
Link: www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk
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