After a remarkable 60-game season in which Manchester City became the second English club in history to win three Premier League titles, the European Cup and the FA Cup, it would be understandable if the players were a little more relaxed this term.
Then Nathan Ake reminds you that their manager is Pep Guardiola and the idea of relaxation is alien to a player who has won so many runs.
“I don’t know how he did it,” says the City and Netherlands defender with a mixture of surprise and admiration. “You’d think you’d be able to calm down with what he’s won, but he won’t allow it.
“He immediately wants more and more. If you have someone with this mentality, the team will take it with them.
“We are never dissatisfied and even this season we want to go again. “Every day the manager says he wants us to go back and you automatically accept that and everyone wants that.”
In fact, this was clearly visible after City beat Burnley 3-0 in the first 45 minutes of the season. Erling Haaland, who put City ahead 2-0 in the 36th minute, was angry with Bernardo Silva, who prevented his hat-trick chance by not playing towards the end of the first period.
Guardiola had a different perspective and as soon as the half-time whistle blew, he walked up to his star striker and, with his usual manic intensity, explained to him why he was wrong and his teammate was right. And it was public.
Ake gave you a look that suggested private entertainment was something else entirely. “Oh yeah, 100 percent,” he says, puffing out his cheeks before laughing. “It doesn’t matter if we win, if we play badly…
“This season we played matches that looked like that from the outside. [it was] They were all bad and there were moments when you thought they were going to kill us.
“But he’d come to meetings and say, ‘We played well, maybe a few things.’ [we could have done better] But you’ve done well, so don’t listen to outside things’.
“[The 2-2 draw against Crystal] For example, it looked bad at Palace recently, but Pep showed us clips and our style of play was actually good.
“But you also have games where there is outside. [world] “He says you were perfect and we won 3-0 or something, and he hits you because there were things he didn’t like about the game.”
The thing is, Guardiola can never get enough. City added the European Super Cup this season and their first Club World Cup last month to the collection and Ake believes the players have received extra motivation from the manager’s ruthless approach.
“Every player in this team already has that, but Pep overcomes it with his reputation and all the awards he has won,” says Ake. “Having someone in front of you who still pushes you every day takes us to the next level.”
Of course, City couldn’t get everything their way this season. A five-week break in the run-up to Christmas saw Guardiola’s side pick up just seven points from six games, with three straight draws against Chelsea, Liverpool and Tottenham followed by a 1-0 defeat at Aston Villa, prompting the players’ leadership team to take action . Call the team to a meeting.
However, City’s title rivals have not taken full advantage of their struggles this term and if they beat Newcastle at St James’ Park on Saturday, the champions will remain just two points behind leaders Liverpool.
“We struggled a little at one point, but the difference wasn’t too big, which motivated us,” says Ake. “[The attitude was] ‘Okay, win these two games [Everton and Sheffield United] and we’re out there again and we’re starting to get towards the end of the season knowing that we can compete normally and hopefully we’ll do the same. But there’s still a long way to go. Liverpool look really strong. Arsenal are also still there after two defeats [to West Ham and Fulham].”
Ake admits the prospect of making more history by becoming the first English club to win four consecutive titles is a huge source of motivation for the City team. “Yes, because this has never been done before,” he says. “As a team, we know it will be incredible to do this.”
While last season was a historic season for City, it was also the best of Ake’s career and he has continued that fine form this season, embracing the competition provided by the arrival of the second most expensive defender ever. It’s best to do this.
“Even though we’ve won, that’s the strength of this club; they don’t just relax and think, ‘Oh, we’re good’,” Ake says of the £77m signing of Josko Gvardiol from RB Leipzig.
“They go to the next one and the next one and the next one, and I think that’s a good thing. Because these new players are 100 per cent hungry to win their first Premier League title and that takes everyone to another level.”
Guardiola said after beating Tottenham 4-2 at home 12 months ago that City could not play without Ake. It wasn’t exaggerated. At the time, the team was still struggling with the transition to a 3-2-4-1 system, but Ake was a model of consistency amidst inconsistency.
“Last season wasn’t a breakthrough, but it was my best year so far,” he says. “My first season [at City] It wasn’t great. I had to learn a lot, recover from injuries and it was a season to forget. In the second season, I started to understand better what the manager wanted and I started to feel better while playing and more comfortable as things got better. “Last season was when I was the most comfortable and completely confident.”
It’s surprising now to think that Ake could have played in a different shade of blue that season. Chelsea tried to re-sign the Dutchman last summer but have never forgotten the faith Guardiola showed in him after a difficult first 12 months when his future was in question.
“After the first season, a lot of times I was like, ‘Are they happy with me?’ you thought. Ake remembers. “They could have said, ‘This isn’t what we want’ and gone somewhere else, but they always trusted me. At the end of the first season, the manager came to me and said: ‘Don’t worry, you had injuries, it didn’t go the way we wanted… but you can play in different positions. It’s very important to us so keep going’. This gave me a lot of confidence and confidence that I needed and from there I started to move on.
“Yes, of course [you remember that when another team shows interest]. This shows that even in the difficult moments when I’m not at my best, they still trust me.
“Since I arrived, my personal development in every aspect (on the ball, off the ball and tactically) is at a different level. The coach takes every match very seriously. He is a big part of my development.”
Away from football, Ake relaxes by playing the piano. The arrival of a daughter 14 months ago may have disrupted his training schedule, but he promised himself he would change that this year.
“I’m feeling bad because I haven’t had time to practice since the little boy was born,” Ake says. “But I told my wife this: [Kaylee] My New Year’s resolution is to start over properly.”
He enjoys playing songs by Italian pianist and composer Ludovico Einaudi and his South Korean counterpart Yiruma, and he is not the only Dutch footballer with a talent for tickling the ivories. Ake and Stefan de Vrij have a small electric piano in their room when they are away on international duty, but their love for the instrument wasn’t shared by everyone at the Euros a few years ago.
“At one point they brought in a proper piano, but the actors were resting and all they heard was Stefan and I playing, so they got rid of it,” Ake explains with a chuckle. “Everyone is tired of us. Still, it was a nice relief for us.”
Ake was just 14 when Guardiola’s Barcelona won six trophies in 2009. Fourteen years later, he is still coming to terms with being part of the Guardiola-managed City team that will win five trophies in 2023. [Barcelona] “You win so many awards you think it’s incredible,” he says.
“Being able to do that and say it’s your own is still a hard thing to realize. The only time you will truly realize it is after your career, when you start looking back to see what you have accomplished.
But for now, he’s just looking ahead and dreaming of more silverware.