Wednesday 5 April 2017 08:47, UK
Pep Guardiola has warned his Manchester City players that changes are coming this summer.
City, who are currently fourth in the table, have enjoyed a mixed first season under Guardiola and head into Wednesday night's game against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge trailing the Premier League leaders by 11 points.
Guardiola made wholesale changes last summer as he added John Stones, Leroy Sane, Gabriel Jesus, Ilkay Gundogan, Nolito and Claudio Bravo among others.
And he admitted he expects another active transfer window at the Etihad as he challenged his fringe players to show they belong at the club between now and the end of the season.
"We will think about [making changes], we will discuss with the chairman [Khaldoon al-Mubarak], Txiki [Begiristain, the director of football], all the bosses," Guardiola said.
"Every club wants to improve and, of course, the changes are necessary but we are going to discuss at the end of the season.
"At the end, the players decide for themselves through their performances on the pitch."
Although City appear on course to comfortably exceed the 66 points they managed last season - they currently have 58 with nine matches to play - Guardiola admitted earlier this week the level of expectation which greeted his appointment was probably unrealistic.
Another busy transfer window - no Premier League team spent more last summer - will again lead to high hopes for next season but Guardiola knows City's rivals are also likely to spend big.
Guardiola said: "We speak every day about what we do to improve the quality of the players we have, and will have in the future. What we can do get better and, of course, buy some players to help us to be stronger.
"But all the teams are going to think about that. Even Chelsea are going buy players. It will make an exceptional Premier League so every club is going to try to improve.
"I remember Sir Alex Ferguson would win titles and titles - but every season would change players. You have to do that."
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