No Txiki, no tiki-taka? City prepare for future without sporting director Txiki Begiristain

Manchester City held on to their hard-fought victory over a defiant Fulham side last weekend in what could have been a very poor day at the office for Pep’s side. 

It looked like the same old story for Manchester City as, despite a dominant opening few minutes, the blues would be the first to concede for the third time in the premier league this season. In a somewhat poetic turn of events, it would be the ex-Manchester United man Andreas Pereira who would open the scoring, poking home an outrageous back-heel pass from teammate Raul Jiménez. 

Manchester City would have to batten down the hatches as the Fulham counterattacks were relentless, with Adama Traore squandering another of many golden opportunities in front of goal, blazing a 1-on-1 over the bar. Despite this, City were quick to respond with the equalizer coming from City’s makeshift Rodri replacement Mateo Kovacic, who capitalised when a corner ball landed at his feet, striking it into the back of the net with help from an Anderson deflection. 

Manchester City would come out in the second half with a point to prove and following a flurry of City attacks, Mateo Kovacic would find himself on the scoresheet again with a cool side foot finish through a crowded Fulham box. 

Fulham refused to roll over and, a ball over the top saw Kyle Walker left in the dust by Adama Traore, yet fortunately for the City captain, Ederson was there to save his blushes and prevent the goal. Thankfully for City, the Spaniard seemed to have left his shooting boots at home. 

It was Jeremy Doku who all but sealed the 3 points for City with a rocket into the far corner following a bit of clever trickery to create space on the edge of the box. Doku’s performances during his start at City have shown glimpses of greatness, yet often frustrate us blues due to the inconsistency in which they come. In an honest self-assessment, the Belgian stated that “the start of the season I haven’t been on my best level, my best form” but re-iterated that “the statistics are going to come.” 

Despite a late goal from Fulham’s Rodrigo Muniz, the visitors would be leaving with nothing as an exciting, albeit slightly nervous game at the Etihad saw City return to winning ways in the premier league after back-to-back draws. 

Of course, City have found themselves in the news for reasons off the pitch, once again. Following many days of legal disputes, Manchester City appeared to land a ‘seismic victory’ over The Premier League regarding Associated Party Transaction rules. However, it wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows as, the next day, it would be announced that Manchester City’s director of football for the past 13 years, Txiki Begiristain, would resign from his role at the end of the season. 

Begiristain’s resignation will likely put the wheels in motion for the extensive handover of the Pep era. Since arriving at the Etihad in October 2012, the 60-year-old has overseen the squad build of 3 separate managers, but it wasn’t until Guardiola’s arrival in 2016 that the pair solidified themselves in City folklore, assembling teams that have collected every trophy available. 

So, what’s next for Manchester City? 

Well, the Blues will look for replacements now and they are now faced with the mammoth task of replacing the success that Begiristain has accumulated during his tenure. 

Sporting CP’s Hugo Viana seems to be the name circulating at the moment, with Porto’s sporting director Andoni Zubizarreta also having his admirers at Manchester City according to some speculation. Whoever comes in will no doubt be the first domino in the end of the Pep era and whatever era proceeds that will certainly be one of change, excitement and hopefully more silverware.