Alonso: Guardiola needs time to improve City

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola will need time to impose his style but will improve all of his players, according to Xabi Alonso.

Alonso spent two seasons under Guardiola at Bayern Munich, winning two Bundesliga titles and a DFB-Pokal crown.

Guardiola has moved on to take charge at City, and he is expected to help the club immediately push for trophies.

Alonso, 34, said the Spanish tactician required time to implement his style, particularly in the Premier League.

“I have no doubt he will be able to impose how he sees football and how he wants his team to play,” Alonso said.

“For sure it will take time but because he is so thorough and he is such a great worker and analytical and he will manage.

“The Premier League is very different from the Bundesliga and LaLiga. The pace is different and physically it is very different, but maybe it has also changed a lot more since my time.

“He will need to adapt for certain games, that is for sure. From my time there I remember you have to think differently when you go to West Brom, to Stoke and to Sunderland.”

However, Alonso has no doubt Guardiola will help City improve after their fourth-place finish last season.

The former Spain international said just how meticulous the former Barcelona coach was meant every player would get better.

“His training is very different and the players will have to get used to how he likes to talk to the players,” Alonso said.

“He wants to give the tools to be better and part of this is the anticipation of what is going to happen in the game. He wants you to think more about the game.

“He taught me so much in two years and he makes you understand even more about the game.

“I learnt a lot from him and if the City players are open-minded and listen to Pep they will learn from playing from under him as well and become better players because of working for him.”