Joleon Lescott: Manchester City will be prepared for Pep Guardiola’s departure

City won’t fall into Ferguson or Wenger trap if Pep goes

We can't say for certain if Pep Guardiola will move on at the end of the season, though it does look more likely than not that he will.

Given the things he's achieved at the club it's pretty natural there is going to be a drop-off but I think the thing that is most worrying is how similar changes have affected the other big clubs.

You just have to look at what happened to Manchester United when Sir Alex Ferguson left or to Arsenal when Arsene Wenger moved on to see how hard it can be to keep things like they were before.

However, I do think City will be much better prepared for the change than those clubs were.

They'll recognise the drop-off that happened and have plans in place to make sure the change doesn't have the detrimental impact that it did with some of the other sides.

They'll know it won't be easy to maintain the level Pep has set but they'll be doing everything they can to make sure that whoever does replace him is able to keep standards as high as possible.

City underappreciated in Pep era

Manchester City are definitely favourites for the Premier League title again and that certainly brings an added element of pressure – however I'm not sure this side is appreciated as it should be.

To win four titles in a row is something that's never been done before. It's a bit like the Invincibles at Arsenal in that people didn't quite realise the scale of their accomplishments until much later down the line.

I think it might take a few more years for everyone to realise quite what Guardiola and his side have achieved.

Motivation no issue for Arsenal

Arsenal are the ones I think will push City hardest again and, while I think they've recruited really well, it's not because of the money they've spent that they'll challenge again.

If you had that mantra then Chelsea would be leading title contenders but I still think they're a long way off it. Arsenal have such a settled squad under Mikel Arteta and they continue to progress each season.

Yes, they've spent plenty of money but they've recruited in areas they needed reinforcements in rather than just going out and spending money for the sake of it. You have to give Arteta a lot of credit for the way he's evolved the squad over the last few years and while they will, of course, want to win the title, I don't see their season being a failure if they don't.

Some people have said it will be hard for the Arsenal players to motivate themselves but I don't buy that. I would see it as motivation to improve and go again.

Pre-season is never easy for any player but the reason we play football is because we love the game and want to be the best we possibly can be. Arsenal really haven't done much wrong over the past couple of seasons and they should be motivated to give it another crack again this time round.

If you have to question things like mentality and desire, then you won't compete. Those key moments are often dictated by which side wants it more.

Volume of Chelsea recruits a worry

It's hard not to keep an eye on the amount of players that Chelsea keep bringing in and the money the club are spending.

It won’t be easy for some players because you work alongside someone one day and then suddenly there’s a new person in – you have to be able to adapt.

I'd like to think many of the Chelsea players will see it as motivation though. If someone comes into your position, you should want to show the manager that you are still the one who should be playing there.

Players, of course, all react differently but I'm sure that's what Enzo Maresca and Todd Boehly will be hoping to see.

The thing that has surprised me most is the volume of players being brought in as opposed to the actual money being spent. It must be really difficult for Maresca because he has got so many personalities, nationalities and cultures to work with and the fact that the squad keeps changing almost daily makes his task even harder.

I've been in lots of squads and it's just life that managers have their favourites. That has an impact on players, too, so the volume of the squad just leaves room for frustration. I think even if Chelsea had signed all of those players on free transfers, there would still be issues.

Given the money they've spent the owners will want Champions League football again and, ass we know, Chelsea aren't slow to change things. That puts added pressure on the new manager.

This season they need to be competitive in the games that they should be competitive in and, likewise, they need to be beating the teams they should be beating.