We need more composure with the ball – Pep | OneFootball

Pep Guardiola says City are building a squad for now and the upcoming years and that the players will evolve moving forward.

City had four players making their Etihad Stadium debuts in the 2-0 defeat against Tottenham with James Trafford, Rayan Ait-Nouri, Tijjani Reijnders and Rayan Cherki in the starting line-up.

With January signings Nico and Omar Marmoush also starting, the squad has had a significant transformation recently.

The transfer window doesn’t close until Monday 1 September at the start of a two-week international break, and Guardiola says he has a squad to move forward with.

“Everybody’ trained really good and I don’t have any complaints, we have energy and they have quality but just the simple things [against Spurs], we missed it,” he said.

“We need more composure with the ball but through the games we are going to get it.

“It’s a team we’re going to have for the next [few] years. We have a squad and when we finish next Sunday and have the international break, we will move forward with that squad.

“I felt that in the training sessions, Nico made a step forward and Tijjani is going there.

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“When we play against Spurs or [Thomas Frank’s former club] Brentford in the past, when we are able to drop them, they defend so deep but you need talent and quality and vision.

“Rayan Cherki is extraordinary for that and when playing inside, Rico [Lewis] is really good in small spaces and his work ethic.

“So there are many reasons to have them involved. In the buildup, we have to drag them to find the next stages and next passes and that we didn’t read.

“But a part of that is a big problem. When we arrive in positions more comfortably, we lose the simple things.

“We need the continuity with the passes and we cannot attack in three or four passes. We missed it a little bit, that’s all.”

Ait-Nouri’s first game at the Etihad in a blue shirt was cut short and the boss is waiting for a diagnosis on the injury after he went off in the first half to be replaced by Nathan Ake.

But Guardiola is hoping he can be part of the squad for the clash with Brighton on Sunday 31 August.

“I didn’t speak with the doctors yet,” he added. “It looks like his ankle.

“We have seven days, hopefully he can recover.”