1 day ago
5
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola spoke about what he expects from his team as they look to extend their unbeaten run
The most animated Pep Guardiola got in his Friday press conference was when the Ryder Cup was mentioned. Here was a fan, a lover of golf, talking in awe about some of the dramatic high-quality scenes that were played out at Bethpage last week.
Guardiola is a great lover of golf and tennis, and it is tempting to think about what he can take from the very best of individual sport. What he adored about the Ryder Cup though, as most Europeans tend to over the Americans, was the sense of team spirit that ran through it all as Shane Lowry described the putt that got his side over the line as his greatest day in golf.
The Manchester City manager is all about what makes the team better, and right now - nearly 10 years into his time at the Etihad - he is still enthusing about that. Some players need to forget the horrors of last season and others need to learn what is expected at City, but Guardiola is enjoying the blending process a whole lot more than a month ago when he had just seen them lose to Tottenham and Brighton.
They go into Sunday's trip to Brentford with four wins and two draws from their last six matches, and those draws were both equalisers in the 90th minute. They may have ceded possession at the Emirates but at no point in their last six matches have they trailed an opponent.
If the weekend represents a potential banana skin at a ground where they threw away a 2-0 lead last season to draw, Guardiola talks optimistically both about the improvements that his team have made in the last few weeks and the room to grow more that he sees.
"What makes me the most optimistic and happy is the margin to improve," he said. "I love that feeling - the feeling that we can do better.
"This is the feeling that I like as a manager. The improvement can be better - reading what the opponents do, the spaces we have to attack.
"I have the feeling that we are creating again the tempo and pace that is really good and means we can attack a little more fluid and consistent in attack if we can do some movements that we can do better. And I love that."
Only once have they gone more than six unbeaten since the wheels first came off in October 2024, and such spells are important for building the mentality of a team that was shot. Guardiola is already lamenting the halting of momentum that will come with the international break, such has been the reassuring confidence that has been built up by the rhythm of good performances and (mostly) good results in recent matches.
They will need much more before they are seen as leading title contenders - they trail Liverpool by five points at this early stage - but they are heading in the right direction. If they can have continued that trend by the time they leave West London on Sunday, expect Guardiola to be even more chirpy about the team that he still gets excited by.
---
Here at the Manchester Evening News, we’re dedicated to bringing you the best Manchester City coverage and analysis.
Make sure you don’t miss out on the latest City news by joining our free WhatsApp group. You can get all the breaking news and best analysis sent straight to your phone by clicking here to subscribe.
You can also subscribe to our free newsletter service. Click here to be sent all the day’s biggest stories.
And finally, if you’d rather listen to our expert analysis then make sure to check out our Talking City podcast. Our shows are available on all podcast platforms, including Spotify and Apple Podcasts, and you can also watch along on YouTube.
English (US) ·