It’s been an unforgettable World Cup and as we reach the Quarter Final stages we have nearly all the pre-tournament favourites already home with their tails between their legs.
Argentina, Germany, Spain and Portugal have been sent packing and while it may be music to the ears of fans whose nations are in with a great chance of winning, there will be one man who has a smile even wider.
Pep Guardiola saw a record 16 members of his first team squad head to Russia for the World Cup. That should really have been 17 before Leroy Sane’s bizarre omission from Joachim Low’s Germany squad, a move that was widely criticised after Sane's standout season in Manchester.
However, the early exits of some of the big guns of international football has meant that some of City’s World Cup stars are already relaxing with their feet up ahead of pre-season training.
Sergio Aguero, David Silva, Nicolas Otamendi, Bernardo Silva and Ilkay Gudogan will all be back early into proceedings which could prove a daunting prospect for City’s Premier League rivals.
Leroy Sane will be back in on day one and, if as expected, Jorginho and Riyad Mahrez do join the squad in the near future, they too will have benefited from a full break over the summer.
Having set a plethora of records last season as they cruised to the title with a record number of goals and points, Guardiola will be desperate to do what nobody has done since Sir Alex Ferguson managed in 2009 – retain the title.
City fans will remember all too well just how important any advantage can be in defending the Premier League crown. Having won the trophy in impressive fashion under Manuel Pellegrini in 2013-14, the blues were a shadow of themselves the following season.
However, the World Cup in Brazil 2014 saw key players not return to the squad until days before the start of the season.
Pablo Zabaleta, Sergio Aguero, Martin Demichelis, Fernando and Fernandinho all played a huge number of games before only getting two weeks rest after the tournament to prepare for the new season.
In contrast, most of Guardiola’s key men are likely to be fully recuperated ahead of the coming season.
The Catalonian will demand his players improve (if that’s possible) in the coming campaign and that could be an ominous warning for those hoping to knock them off their perch.
