Gael Clichy reveals Pep Guardiola changed his view on football during Man City spell

Former Arsenal defender Clichy enjoyed a successful time at Manchester City between 2011 and 2017.

Former Manchester City defender Gael Clichy has heaped praise on City manager Pep Guardiola, revealing that the current Etihad boss changed the way he saw football in just 10 months.

Clichy was coming towards the end of his time at City when Guardiola arrived in 2016; the French defender made 39 appearances during his time with Guardiola, though often served as the manager’s first choice left-back in that debut 2016/17 campaign for the Catalan.

Despite their short time together, it was clear that Clichy gained a lot of knowledge about the game under the guidance of Guardiola.

In an interview with Blick, Clichy was asked to name the coaches that have inspired him.

He said: “Definitely Guardiola, who changed the way I viewed football in just 10 months.

“You have to experience it yourself to understand. He is a very intense person. The phrase “a game depends on little things” is a phrase, but Pep embodies it.

“He is extremely meticulous. He focuses on these details seven days a week. He allows every single player to improve.”

Clichy enjoyed a very successful time at the Etihad Stadium, after moving from Arsenal in 2011 for a deal costing £6.98 million. Clichy went on to establish himself as a solid option for City’s left flank, winning two Premier League titles, the EFL Cup twice and the Community Shield once.

Since leaving City, Clichy went on to play for Turkish side Istanbul Basaksehir between 2017 and 2020, winning the Turkish Super Lig with the Istanbul outfit alongside fellow former Premier League stars such as Martin Skrtel and Demba Ba.

Now at 35, Clichy continues to ply his trade in European football, playing in the Swiss Super League for Servette FC.

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