Mateo Kovacic has shared what it was like playing against Manchester City prior to joining the club.
The midfielder joined the Citizens last month from Chelsea on a four-year deal worth a reported fee of £30m.
Having now featured in both of City’s pre-season matches and getting his first taste of what it’s like to play in Pep Guardiola’s side, the midfielder has spoken out about his experiences playing against the Manchester club.
Kovacic shares what it’s like to play against City
Speaking in a recent press conference ahead of City’s final pre-season game against Atletico Madrid, Kovacic had this to say about what it was like playing against his new side.
He said: “I knew the team had a lot of quality and playing against them [City] was never easy – it was always tough. They keep the ball and put pressure on you.
“Now I am here I can see why. The intensity is so high and everyone is so professional. You can see why they have been successful in recent years.”
Throughout his career, the 29-year-old has played against City 12 time in total, leaving only Tottenham Hotspur (15) and Liverpool (13) that he’s faced off against on more occasions.
Across his 12 meetings with City, the midfielder has been on the losing side eight times and only won four of them, failing to score a goal in the process.
Having lost two third of the matches he’s played in against the Manchester club, it’s easy to see why he’s shared how tough it was to try and pick up a positive result and outmanoeuvre them on the pitch.
With that in mind and taking into account how successful City have been in terms of winning silverware in recent years, it’s safe to assume that Kovacic is delighted to be a part of the squad.
