Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has told his star players to remain on their toes because no-one in his squad is guaranteed to play.
The Spaniard enjoyed terrific success at Barcelona and Bayern Munich but finished his first season in England without silverware.
What's more, Guardiola showed a willingness to drop big names such as Yaya Toure and Sergio Aguero in a bid to get more from his team and he has reiterated that no-one is safe from the subs’ bench.
Speaking ahead of Monday’s Premier League match with Everton, he said: “Hopefully they will understand that at the big clubs, you cannot have 11 players, so they have to compete with each other.
“For example, in the last game in Brighton, Leroy Sane didn't play from the beginning. It was a key point and I changed our dynamic a little bit up front. Raz [Sterling], when he played minutes, he played very well.
“In that kind of level in the Premier League, the people who are 12, 13, 14 and play in the game, they are so, so important.
“When the game is in the last 15 or 20 minutes, the opponent is tired and we've moved them during the game, we can introduce dynamic players like Bernardo Silva, Raz or Sane. In another game, maybe it's Sergio or Gabriel Jesus. So it's a point where we can win games in the last minutes.”
City beat newly-promoted Brighton last weekend, winning 2-0 thanks to goals from Aguero and an Lewis Dunk own goal.