Under Pep Guardiola, Man City has long been famous for their remarkable late-season surges, especially during April and May, when Premier League and Champions League titles are decided.
The 2025-26 season, with unprecedented challenges, makes reaching peak performance in spring more important than ever.
Pep’s Secret to Reaching the Peak
Man City always employs a scientific strategy to reach optimal form at the decisive stage, thanks to the combination of Guardiola’s tactical philosophy and fitness work by experts such as Lorenzo Buenaventura and Chris Elderkin, the successor of Donough Holohan. This method, which emphasizes blending physical fitness with tactical philosophy, has resulted in impressive unbeaten streaks late in the season: 14 matches in 2018-19, 12 in 2021-22, 16 in 2022-23, and 23 in 2023-24. Even in the turbulent previous season, City remained unbeaten in their last 10 Premier League matches, securing Champions League qualification, demonstrating their ability to explode at the right moment.
This season, the demanding schedule poses a significant challenge. After being eliminated by Al Hilal in the Club World Cup round of 16 in the US on July 1, 2025, City had only 26 days of rest—much less than the 34 days in summer 2024. With only 19 days to prepare before the season, City prioritized physical recovery over forced training. Fitness experts believe the first week after a long 61-match season is often affected by weakened immunity, limiting training capacity.
The defeat to Tottenham, who had 38-42 days of preparation, shows City is still in the "warm-up" phase. With the youngest squad in 15 years (average age 24.9), including 4 new players, early difficulties are understandable. However, Guardiola and his team still aim for a breakthrough in spring, the time when major titles are decided.
Guardiola understands it is impossible to reach perfect condition from the start of the season. Instead, he focuses on building a foundation so the team peaks in April and May. The loss to Tottenham is a warning, but with Guardiola’s successful history, City still has reasons to be optimistic. The key is to maintain stability and avoid exhaustion, especially as the tight Champions League and Premier League schedule demands squad depth and careful preparation.
Guardiola is still regarded as a "springtime acceleration expert."
This Season Will Be More Difficult for Guardiola
Squad changes are the biggest challenge for Man City this season. The goalkeeper position is unstable as Ederson negotiates with Galatasaray, Stefan Ortega might leave, and James Trafford is not yet ready to secure the goal. This uncertainty affects City’s ability to build play from the back, a hallmark strength.
In the loss to Tottenham, the team failed to impose their aggressive pressing style, partly due to defensive confusion. The lack of a stable goalkeeper amid the Premier League’s increasing demand for bold play is a problem that must be addressed before the transfer window closes.
In attack, Guardiola stresses the importance of building "connections" among players. The summer newcomers bring youth but need time to integrate. Meanwhile, Jeremy Doku and Erling Haaland are working hard to improve their understanding, focusing on coordinated plays inside the penalty area. Assistant coach Kolo Toure is actively working to strengthen forward cooperation, especially through group drills.
With a squad of 28 players—too large—and the possible departures of Ederson, Ortega, and Manuel Akanji before the transfer deadline, Guardiola must quickly find the ideal lineup. The busy schedule, starting with the Champions League group stage at the end of August 2025, requires City to have enough backup options to avoid injuries and fatigue.
Despite facing many difficulties, faith in Guardiola remains the greatest support. His ability to change the situation late in the season has been proven by remarkable unbeaten runs. With a deep squad, scientific strategy, and Guardiola’s genius, Man City has the right to hope for another magical spring, even though this season will be much harder.
M.Vũ
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