MX23RW : Monday, November 25 06:57:44| >> :120:27503:27503:

Pep Guardiola feels Manchester City are ready to explode into life

Pep Guardiola feels Manchester City are ready to explode into life
© Reuters
Former champions are moving up the ladder.

Pep Guardiola feels his Manchester City side are ready to explode on the Premier League after getting closer to his vision of perfection against Newcastle.

City eased to a comfortable 2-0 victory over the Magpies at the Etihad Stadium on Boxing Day with goals in each half from Ilkay Gundogan and Ferran Torres.

City are now unbeaten in six games – and have kept clean sheets in five of them – as they haul themselves into the title race after a slow start to the campaign.

Yet it was the manner of this latest result that pleased Guardiola the most.

"We played really well," said the City manager. "We played the tempo. We won games in the recent past but we were not playing the right tempo.

"Football is about time. Without the ball everybody runs, but with the ball we have to play in rhythm – but not too high.

"Everyone passes the ball, knowing his position. At the right moment, when we contact several players in several positions, we make an explosion. This was maybe one of the first days that we saw it. That is why I'm happy.

"In the last seasons we've struggled against Newcastle but here we controlled everything. I don't know how many millions of passes we had but that is the way we want to play, picking the right moment to attack."

Sergio Aguero featured late on against the Magpies
Sergio Aguero featured late on against the Magpies (Peter Powell/PA)

City could easily have won by more. Bernardo Silva hit the post and both Kevin De Bruyne and Sergio Aguero were denied by good saves from Karl Darlow.

Club record goalscorer Aguero only came off the bench for the last 13 minutes as Guardiola continues to ease him back into action after knee trouble.

City play again at Everton on Monday but it is still not clear if the Argentinian is ready to start, even with the club's only other recognised senior striker in Gabriel Jesus being out.

Jesus, along with right-back Kyle Walker, is in self-isolation after testing positive for Covid-19 in the past week.

If Aguero is not risked from the kick-off at Goodison Park, Torres is again likely to continue operating as a makeshift centre forward.

Ferran Torres has filled in at centre forward
Ferran Torres has filled in at centre forward (Clive Brunskill/PA)

Guardiola said: "We discussed whether to start with Sergio. I need him. This was very good news in general. In the minutes Sergio played, we saw him sharp and dynamic. This is incredible news for us. We need him, absolutely.

"But we have to be careful. We cannot do what we did in the past, when he comes back and then gets injured. I still want to handle the minutes but I saw him well. I love this guy.

"Saying that, Ferran did an incredible job. It's not a usual position for him, he's a winger. It's not normal to play but he's helping a lot with his movements."

ID:428148: cacheID:428148:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:7916:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Newcastle United manager Steve Bruce pictured on November 6, 2020
Read Next:
Newcastle boss Steve Bruce claims mass hysteria is "unjust and unfair"
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool1210112481631
2Manchester CityMan City127232217523
3Chelsea126422314922
4Arsenal126422112922
5Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton126422116522
6Tottenham HotspurSpurs1261527131419
7Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest125431513219
8Aston Villa125431919019
9Newcastle UnitedNewcastle115331311218
10Fulham125341717018
11Brentford125252222017
12Manchester UnitedMan Utd124441313016
13Bournemouth124351617-115
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham113351319-612
15Everton122551017-711
16Leicester CityLeicester122461523-810
17Wolverhampton WanderersWolves122372028-89
18Ipswich TownIpswich121651323-109
19Crystal Palace121561017-78
20Southampton121110924-154


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!