JACK GAUGHAN: Pre-season with Pep Guardiola is the perfect hangover cure for Manchester City’s Treble winners

Kalvin Phillips offered some insight the other week when he explained what a pre-season under Pep Guardiola looks like.

‘When I was at Leeds with Marcelo Bielsa, we were running around the track,’ he said. ‘I was getting used to that. I came here and it’s all ball work in short, sharp bursts and tight spaces. Those sessions are so hard.’

It has been known for some time that Manchester City get the round things out on day one but the presumption was that this eased City back in. Clearly not so, and that goes a way to contextualising why Guardiola usually gives his players longer holidays than their rivals, although that was not an option this year given the Treble exploits extended way into June.

Still, there are less than two weeks until the Community Shield at Wembley and City have completed just four full training sessions and one game. The club will hope that death by rondos and Guardiola’s spin on Bielsa’s murderball will whip them into shape in Tokyo’s 35°C wet heat, before then moving on to South Korea later this week.

‘It’s my eighth year now so I’m used to it, it’s part and parcel of the manager’s identity, our identity as a team,’ John Stones said.

His side have a big task at hand to get anywhere near last season’s historic Treble winning efforts

Kalvin Phillips (pictured) has offered an insight into what pre-season is like at Man City

’When we look at the stats and what we’re doing day-to-day, it’s like doing a running session, we just do everything with the ball.

’I think it’s a win-win because we’re keeping mentally focused, knowing our roles and responsibilities and knowing what he’s asking of us.

‘It’s about getting back in the rhythm and the little habits that we were so good at last season, we’re not missing out on that time while we’re training because we’re with the ball, we’re in shape.’

Stones again danced as a midfielder during the 5-3 victory over sister club Yokohama F. Marinos on Sunday, scoring City’s first, and looks set to excel in that role again this term. There lies a cloud of uncertainty over a trio of big names — Kyle Walker, Bernardo Silva and Aymeric Laporte — with Walker given the captain’s armband for the first friendly. Suitors Bayern Munich are next tomorrow.

Manchester City had a thrilling 5-3 victory over Yokohama F.Marinos on Sunday

Man City are getting back into the rhythm with a tough challenge expected next season

‘Hopefully, everyone stays,’ said Nathan Ake, who almost joined Chelsea this time last year. The nucleus remaining, with Riyad Mahrez set to follow Ilkay Gundogan in leaving, is crucial — and so too is removing any glory hangovers.

‘The manager already picked up on that, he doesn’t want anyone slipping up or being too casual,’ Ake added. ’Now it’s about us. How can we do the same again? We already saw the last few days in training, everyone still runs as hard and I think that’s a positive.

‘Over the years, when we are pressing teams, we come with energy and we don’t let them breathe. If we drop that, then you drop the levels.’