Pep Guardiola is surprising Manchester City’s new backroom staff with relentless energy and a refusal to slow down – despite a glittering decade in the Premier League.
Kolo Toure, who was appointed first-team coach in the summer, stepped in to take on Guardiola’s media duties before City go to Crystal Palace on Sunday.
The ex-City defender, part of the 2012 title-winning team, detailed his own role and revealed that he feels empowered by the City manager.
Guardiola has 18 months left on his latest contract and two points behind Arsenal in search of a seventh league crown.
‘I’m so surprised with all the years that he’s done in the league and now the energy that he still has every day,’ Toure said.
‘The passion he brings to every meeting, training sessions. He’s enjoying himself every day and we are enjoying it.
‘You can see in the games, it doesn’t matter what happens, we have a big spirit in the team, we have a lot of energy, we are fighting for every single ball.
‘We play but one thing they had more is aggression, the fighting for the second balls for example. That’s the difference from last season.’
Toure has taken on the job of offering players more individual support this season and has been leaning on personal experience as a central defender to work closely with Erling Haaland.
The 44-year-old, a title winner with Arsenal under Arsene Wenger, has aspirations of returning to management after a tough nine-game spell at Wigan Athletic in 2022.
‘Working with Pep is incredible,’ Toure added. ‘He allows me to be who I am. I was not expecting that but the first thing he told me when I came was, “just be you”. This is incredible.
‘When you work for certain managers they will tell you what they want you to do but Pep wants you to express yourself because he knows that every individual has a special skill. He doesn’t keep you in one box.
‘The first thing he told me is to work with the players a lot by doing a video session with them, showing clips where they can improve.
‘I mentor them a lot, trying to advise them on certain things on the pitch, and do some individual stuff like the technique to finish or to defend.
‘I help Erling by telling him stuff about defenders, what they don’t like because I was a defender. I work really closely with (assistant manager) Pep Lijnders on leading the training sessions and of course bring my energy that I always had.’
