Akanji refreshed and raring to go ahead of Chelsea opener | OneFootball

A refreshed and rejuvenated Manuel Akanji says an extended summer break afforded him by manager Pep Guardiola has left the defender perfectly primed to aid City’s quest for a fifth straight Premier League title.

Akanji and his City colleagues will open the defence of our league crown on Sunday afternoon with a testing trip to take on Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, kick-off 16.30pm (UK).

The Swiss defender enjoyed a superb 2023/24 campaign at domestic level, helping City secure a historic fourth straight league title as well as also playing his part in the Club’s UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup triumphs.

Akanji was then a key figure in Switzerland’s impressive EURO 2024 finals campaign in Germany where they exited at the quarter-final stage to England.

It represented a marathon and demanding campaign – but following Switzerland’s departure from the German showpiece Akanji, in common with the overwhelming majority of City’s 14-strong Euro contingent, was afforded an extended summer break by Guardiola.

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Having returned to training earlier this month, the 29-year-old said he felt re-energised and excited for the challenges ahead – and grateful for the extra time off afforded him by Guardiola.

“I was really happy about the break the manager gave us,” said Akanji as he looked ahead to Sunday’s opening league encounter with Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea.

“The manager gave us a lot of time off and that was really important for me as well. I think I played the most amount of games I have in a year.

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“I think it was 62 games which is quite a lot and I wasn’t used to it.

“To be fair I felt really good at the Euros and then I had a really good time off with my family and I enjoyed that time a lot.

“Now I am back and as soon as you get back here you get into the feeling again of winning games, especially when you start the season in this way [winning the Community Shield], you want to go again game after game.

“The most important thing is to stay healthy because when you’re not healthy you cannot perform.

“On the pitch that is something I also learnt a lot about myself. I try to do the most as possible for my body to be there in every game and every training session.

“It feels good when you can be there, when you can help your teammates, when you can just perform and do what you love the most.

“I am looking forward to it.”

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Since joining City from Borussia Dortmund in the summer of 2022, Akanji has enjoyed a stellar two years, having also been a pivotal figure in the Club’s iconic Treble winning campaign of 2022/23 with his tactical adaptability also proving vital.

Akanji it was too who struck the decisive winning penalty in last weekend’s Community Shield penalty shoot-out victory over Manchester United, which took his individual haul of major trophies since joining City to seven.

But asked about how he maintains a sense of motivation and hunger on the back of having already helped City achieve so much, Akanji was unequivocal in his response.

“For me as a player it is easy,” the central defender stressed.

“We won a fourth Premier League title in a row, but we didn’t win the Champions League or the FA Cup last year.

“When you know what you are capable of, but when you don’t win it, it is not a good feeling to have. We want to win as many titles as possible.

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“[In terms of Chelsea] it is the first game of the season so we don’t know how fit all of their players and our players will be, but I am confident in us.

“It won’t be an easy game.”

Chelsea v City

The start of a new Premier League season is always a special moment, and our official app will have dedicated and detailed coverage from the capital.

You can keep across the Chelsea clash via our Matchday Centre which provides blow-by-blow updates, analysis and reaction before, during and after the clash.

Starting around 75 minutes before kick-off, Cel Spellman will host Matchday Live alongside guests Richard Dunne and Clive Allen, meanwhile FG will be with Michael Brown provide insight from Stamford Bridge.

Those with push notifications turned on in the app will be alerted to key moments throughout the game as they happen.

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Alistair Mann and Brown will be on hand throughout the afternoon to guide fans through proceedings with live audio commentary while our text commentary continues.

A detailed match report, as well as reaction from Pep Guardiola and players alike, can also be accessed soon after the final whistle.

Short highlights will then be published at 20:15 (UK) before extended and a CITY+ full-match replay can be accessed at midnight.