2 days ago
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Consecutive wins for the archetypal clip since October. Scoring 4 goals successful a Premier League for the archetypal clip since August. Erling Haaland's archetypal league treble since September.
Has Saturday's 4-1 demolition of West Ham marked the instrumentality of the aged Manchester City? 'Absolutely not' according to brag Pep Guardiola.
The triumph leaves the defending champions sixth successful the Premier League, conscionable 3 points disconnected third-placed Nottingham Forest, and offers invited alleviation aft a forgettable past mates of months.
But, erstwhile asked if the effect was a motion of his squad regaining the signifier astir radical are utilized to seeing from them - pursuing a tally of 2 wins from 10 games - the Spaniard was unequivocal successful his response.
"No," Guardiola, said. "You justice the results. Our show was not good. We saw successful galore years our level. We are not astatine our level.
"Don't misunderstand me. I'm truthful happy. I volition slumber amended until the FA Cup [tie against Salford connected 11 January].
"But helium asked if the aged Manchester City and the mode we play is back? No. You person to cognize it. You watched the games for years. We're not astatine the level, travel on.
"Of people determination are an unthinkable batch of positives. But if you inquire maine the squad is playing similar it has played the years ago, no, perfectly not."
Guardiola is simply a phenomenally hard task master.
His standards are exacting and helium has driven City connected erstwhile they person been successful the midst of those agelong winning streaks that person been specified a hallmark of his eight-and-a-half incredibly palmy seasons astatine the club.
Yet the psyche searching of the past fewer weeks has been truthful extensive, it did consciousness arsenic though a comfy triumph - adjacent if West Ham did person immoderate decent chances - was thing to celebrate.
While Guardiola rejected that theory, helium was much expansive astir Brazilian winger Savinho.
A £30m accomplishment from chap City Football Group nine Troyes past summer, the 20-year-old has endured an inconsistent debut campaign.
However, West Ham could not header with his nonstop running. It was Savinho's transverse that Coufal deflected into his ain extremity and different Haaland headed successful for the second.
Savinho besides provided the done shot Haaland finished disconnected for City's third, starring to fulsome praise from Guardiola.
"Having a near ft connected the near side, similar aged fashioned vintage football, close successful the right, near successful the left, and these kinds of crosses helps the striker we have," helium said.
"He has batch to improve. He is not assertive capable without the shot and a small spot brushed successful galore departments. But close present has thing peculiar and superb that helps the squad a lot."
It was astir 1800 GMT erstwhile West Ham brag Julen Lopetegui turned up for his post-match media conference.
The clip was truthful late, writer were starting to wonderment whether the erstwhile Spain and Real Madrid brag had been sacked aft pursuing up a 5-0 location decision by Liverpool with different loss.
That proved not to beryllium the lawsuit and, fixed Guardiola's assessment, it was imaginable to person immoderate sympathy with Lopetegui's sentiment that the contention was "hard to explain".
"The lucifer contiguous was very, precise antithetic [to Liverpool]," helium said. "We did not instrumentality vantage of our wide situations and person a precise wide 1 erstwhile Summerville did not foul Akanji."
Nevertheless, it was inactive a decision that keeps West Ham successful 13th and Lopetegui said helium was "not optimistic" astir the grade of the wounded that forced £34m defender Jean-Clair Todibo disconnected 8 minutes into the 2nd half.
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