Man City’s Akanji on Guardiola, treble repeat, ‘dirty wins’

MANCHESTER, England — Manuel Akanji is sitting in a room at Manchester City’s coaching floor surrounded by photos of himself lifting the Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup. The query is about whether or not, after profitable the treble in his first season following a £15 million transfer from Borussia Dortmund in 2022, you possibly can nonetheless have the identical starvation for achievement having already achieved one thing nearly unattainable.

When the reply comes it is delivered with a smile, however there’s nothing humorous in regards to the sentiment behind it: City and Akanji aren’t accomplished profitable.

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“I didn’t win the Carabao Cup and we can’t win it this year so I hope I can make it happen,” Akanji says in an unique interview with ESPN. “The Community Shield as well, we missed out on it. We had a really good season. It doesn’t get much better than that, winning the treble in the first year. It’s been really good.”

That would not fairly do it justice. City turned the primary English aspect in practically 1 / 4 of a century to win the treble and with it claimed the Champions League for the primary time within the membership’s historical past. The celebrations, which included an open-top bus parade by means of a rain-soaked Manchester, lasted a lot of the summer time, however now the 2023-24 season is in full swing, and a brand new purpose has already been set for his second season on the Etihad Stadium.

“To repeat it,” he says. “If we don’t win, it’s going to be a disappointment. I want to win every trophy again.”

“The treble is really hard to do but, yeah, our goal is to win it every year. Obviously we’re going to be disappointed if, let’s say, we lose in the quarterfinals of the Champions League because we want to go to the final and we want to play for these trophies but sometimes the opponent is better or our performance wasn’t good enough.

“But I believe everybody within the workforce desires to enter each sport to win it and that is why we’re at all times disillusioned after we lose a sport. We wish to win the treble once more,” provides Akanji.

Already champions of Europe and winners of the Super Cup against Europa League winners Sevilla in August, City can be crowned the best club team in the world if they win the Club World Cup in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia in December. Pep Guardiola’s team are also looking to win a record fourth Premier League title in a row, but there’s a downside to all the success, something the Catalan coach spelled out to his players in their first team meeting of the summer in July.

“He mentioned it’ll be even tougher,” recalls Akanji. “After a 12 months like that, to do it once more and win these titles as a result of a lot of persons are going to count on it now from us as a result of they will say we’re one of the best workforce in Europe and now we have to show it each sport. Every workforce goes to return for us and that is not going to be simple.

“Maybe already before because City won the Premier League so many times and every team is meeting us and they want to beat us. Now there’s probably even bigger motivation.”

They’ve already found how robust it’ll be this season, shedding thrice in 4 video games on the finish of September and the start of October. City have bounced again with 5 straight wins, however their subsequent three Premier League matches, in opposition to Chelsea, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur, can be a check of their title credentials. It’s ominous for the opposite challengers that City are already on the prime of the desk.

“It will be challenging,” says Akanji. “It’s what we want, to win these games. We lost against Arsenal and we weren’t happy about it. It’s not easy and we know we can do better. We knew we had to show a reaction and I think we did it. We’re on the right path now.

“If we go into video games and present our greatest efficiency, it is actually arduous to beat us. We know that we must be at our greatest as a result of if we let it slip slightly bit, then the groups are there ready. There are a whole lot of good groups within the league so now we have to be at our greatest.”

The run of tough fixtures either side of the international break might require what Akanji calls “soiled wins,” something the defender says City have mastered just as much as the silky, possession-based football. There’s a beauty about Guardiola’s team but also a brawn that can sometimes be under-appreciated.

“It’s unattainable to be at your greatest in each sport,” says Akanji. “Sometimes you have to regulate and typically you must have a unclean win when you do not play at your greatest. But these are crucial, once you’re not at your greatest. When we’re at our greatest, we all know what we will do however it’s much more difficult to win after we’re not at our greatest. That’s the way you win these titles.

“Let’s talk about the Champions League final because we weren’t at our best. Inter could have scored two or three goals but you need games like this to win these trophies.”

With checks in opposition to a few of the Premier League’s greatest groups coming thick and quick over the subsequent month, it helps that City can lean on a supervisor who would not actually know easy methods to lose. Guardiola’s influence on his gamers is so nice, in keeping with Akanji, that although he arrived on the Etihad as an skilled Switzerland worldwide defender, he is nearly needed to re-learn the sport from scratch.

“Definitely!,” he laughs, when requested whether or not it is true that Guardiola’s administration makes gamers query what they thought they knew about soccer. “I think you can feel it when you go into the national team and play with other players that haven’t been with him. You learn a lot with him.

“It makes you slightly bit nervous at first. It’s demanding however that is what I got here right here for. I wish to get higher day-after-day and I wish to win all of the video games I play in. He lets that it is not solely about soccer. It’s about me as an individual. My son was born a few days after I signed right here and I requested him if I might go to Switzerland and he mentioned ‘sure, take your time and are available again once you’re prepared.’ For him, it is not nearly soccer and that makes it simple to be right here.”

A full trophy cupboard after only a 12 months in Manchester has helped too, however Akanji and City aren’t accomplished profitable but.