Scottish football, known for its short passing game, has roots deeply embedded in the miners' culture of unity. Richard's invitation to Celtic was aimed at allowing Manchester City to experience this cohesive Scottish style of football.
However, as August approached, Richard was forced to cancel the friendlies against Monaco and Deportivo La Coruña. Results from the team's training sessions showed that the players were simply too worn out—especially the non-English ones.
Aside from a few who had participated in Scotland's summer fixtures, most of the squad had just returned from the Copa América, leaving no time for proper rest. Richard realized he had failed to account for the fact that, this year, Brazil would dominate the Copa América—and go on to win the tournament.
Brazil emerged as champions, becoming the first team to hold both the Copa América and the World Cup at the same time.
