We are just two rounds into the group stage of the European Championship, but storylines have already emerged. Club football has started to influence international competitions, making it difficult to ignore the similarities between the two. Wayne Rooney used Manchester City as a comparison for England, but not in terms of their success under Pep Guardiola. In Germany, it was quickly realized that City’s players do not perform as well without Guardiola. Criticism was directed at Phil Foden after England’s initial match, while Kevin De Bruyne and Jeremy Doku were unsuccessful in preventing Belgium from losing to Slovakia. Bernardo Silva and Ruben Dias were also part of a lackluster Portugal team that had to make a comeback against Czechia. This suggests that Manchester City’s players may struggle without their exceptional manager. Additionally, there are thoughts about Kevin De Bruyne contemplating his future with Man City. Wayne Rooney criticizes England by making a harsh comparison to Manchester City. City is definitely the ideal environment for the players they acquire to succeed. It is difficult to find a player who has left the first-team under Guardiola’s leadership and achieved greater success elsewhere. It is understandable that success may be more challenging when not playing alongside equally skilled teammates, but City players have not made excuses and have continued to give their best efforts on the field. De Bruyne and Silva were named man of the match for scoring goals against Romania and Turkey, while Manu Akanji received the award for his performance in Switzerland’s draw with Scotland. City fans are accustomed to the discussions that typically surround their season. It all starts when the Blues struggle in the beginning or encounter a setback, attracting attention from fans of rival clubs who see a chance to capitalize on their weakness. Doubts arise about City having superior players in every position and it becomes apparent that Guardiola is the glue holding everything together. However, when City goes on a winning streak as they often do, the manager is once again criticized as a fraud who only has success due to having the best players because of excessive spending that is actually not unmatched.
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