Manchester City defender Oleksandr Zinchenko has admitted it is ‘murder’ in the club’s training sessions and just making a matchday squad is a victory in itself.
As most are aware by now, City’s squad is one of the best in the world, full to the brim with talent after years of investment from the club’s wealthy owners.
This has hit another level under Pep Guardiola, though, with the Spanish coach showing no hesitancy in splashing the cash to build a squad capable of competing domestically and in Europe.
This means that the level of competition at Manchester City is at an all-time high, with even the most expensive of signings having to accept a place on the bench regularly.
Zinchenko is not one of those big-name players and admitting that training alone with such a group of talented players is ‘very difficult’.
“Being in such a team is a high. On the other hand, it is very difficult,” he revealed in a chat with Ukraine international Artem Milevskiy.
“First of all, psychologically, because training here is just murder. People are fighting for a place in the lineup.
“To be among the 18 players in the application is already a victory. Mahrez trained poorly for three days and did not make it into the 18, although he costs 60 million.
“Here the requirements and the goals are high. One or two mistakes can cost you a lot – then you wait for a few games for your chance.”
Such stories are hardly a surprise given Pep Guardiola is in charge at the Etihad, the former Barcelona coach well known for demanding the most from his players.
He’s been that way at all of his clubs, with stars at Barcelona and Bayern Munich falling foul of his high expectations on numerous occasions.
The Catalan coach is known as a perfectionist, often going into minute detail to eke the most out of his squad and give them an advantage.
Zinchenko has seen this up close and personal and says there is no denying Guardiola is a ‘genius’ in his field.
“Pep really lives in football, it is soaked through him,” he explained.
“What they say about him: “Genius”… he is. This is what a coaching genius should look like.
“He pays attention to all the little things, even to the gestures of the coach rivals. He is a crazy tactician, of course.”
This season has been something of a disappointing one for Manchester City, who have failed to defend their title against Liverpool.
They currently find themselves second in the table, with the title race now seemingly out of their reach as Liverpool sit miles ahead.
Their attention has instead turned to the FA Cup and Champions League, with a potential treble on the cards given their success in the Carabao Cup earlier this year.
Zinchenko admits that is the case, saying everyone at the club is ‘resigned’ to handling their Premier League crown over to Liverpool.
“Already, in principle, everyone is resigned to the Liverpool championship,” he added.
“We lost a lot of points in the Premier League. No need to plough the past. We still have the Champions League and the FA Cup.
“They say that in August we will finish the Champions League. God willing – we go through Real Madrid.
“Then the campaign from the quarter and semi-finals will be one match without a return match, and the games will be held in the same city. But so far, they have not approved it.”
