"Energy, energy, energy. We lost it last season. We started to train better, compete better. We needed energy and then you have a good environment. When we went out to Al Hilal, it wasn't the fact that we didn't win but that we were so good there. It was then holidays so I said, 'OK, go on holidays.'"
"The place we were in, Boca Raton in front of the beach. Everyone was happy. Made a lot of dinners, a lot of talks, what we have to do next season. We wanted to extend it, just to live that. I think there, after talking with [City assistants] Pep [Lijnders] and James [French], Manel [Estiarte], Hugo [Viana], Txiki [Begiristain], we turned around and said something changed. Something [you can feel]."
Manchester City's title bid was conceived at last summer's Club World Cup, which cleared a fog and restored energy across the squad. The team beat Nottingham Forest 2-1 to make six successive Premier League wins and later reached an eight-match winning streak. A poor previous season ended four successive titles, prompting focus on training, competition and environment. A training camp in Boca Raton included dinners, talks and input from assistants Pep Lijnders, James French, Manel Estiarte, Hugo Viana and Txiki Begiristain, which fostered belief, cohesion and a stronger competitive mindset for the season.
Read at ESPN.com
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