Pep will have plan to get best out of players

PEP Guardiola was asked at his Manchester City unveiling what the most important qualities were that he looked for in a player. His response: "To be a good teammate."

- JOE BRAY

This season, Guardiola will need his thinning squad to be better teammates than they have ever been, with City arguably weaker at the start of the season than they were when they won the treble just two months ago.

Captain Ilkay Gundogan has left, and so has experienced biggame winger Riyad Mahrez. Defensive rock Aymeric Laporte could be the next out of the door, having offered Guardiola unique passing qualities from the back that have transformed how City played. After Laporte arrived, City won five Premier League titles.

Now Kevin De Bruyne is injured, and City face a race against time to find reinforcements before the transfer deadline in two weeks, should they wish. Guardiola has just taken City to their highest-ever point and now he faces as big a challenge as he has ever had to rebuild that squad.

Guardiola led City to the UEFA Super Cup on Wednesday, with an injury-hit side stumbling to a penalty shootout win over Sevilla.