3 Areas Manchester City Have Improved Under Pep Guardiola

The improvement in Manchester City’s on-field performance this season is clear, but the speed at which they’ve upgraded has taken most people by surprise, including Pep Guardiola, the man masterminding their advancement.

“I have to be honest, it’s quick, I didn’t expect that,” Guardiola said recently. “All the players create more chances than the opponents, we concede less chances than the opponents and that is the most important thing.”

Nine wins from nine games means Guardiola has made a better start to life at City than he did at either Barcelona or Bayern Munich. City have gone from a side struggling badly, for both results and performances, to one mesmerising the opposition with their speed, inventiveness and sheer hard work. They’re overwhelming their opponents, giving them no time to settle on the ball and attacking them incisively when they win it back. It’s been magical to watch.

Their win over Bournemouth saw them break the club record for the best start to a season, which has stood since 1897. The EFL Cup victory over Swansea City ensured they extended it. Guardiola now has another club record in his sights: the most consecutive wins, which stands at 11, set by Manuel Pellegrini in 2015. Something tells you there will be a few more records broken during his time at City.

But where have the improvements been made? How has Guardiola taken Pellegrini’s failing squad and made them so much better in the space of two-and-a-half months? Here, we take a look at three areas he’s had a huge impact in.

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1. Work rate

It’s the simplest of requirements for a supporter. They see footballers who are paid huge sums of money and living lavish lifestyles, and the minimum they expect to see on the field is hard work. They can accept a player struggling for form or lacking technical quality—but they rarely make allowances for those who won’t put a shift in.

There can be no complaints in the stands at the Etihad Stadium this season. City, as you would expect from a Guardiola side, are working extremely hard. The Catalan knows that even exceptional quality does not guarantee positive results—teams need to work diligently, with and without the ball, in order to ensure success.

Guardiola introduced double training sessions during the summer in order to maximise the time he had with his new players before the season’s beginning.

“It's intense,” Kevin De Bruyne said during pre-season. “Obviously it's a little bit different for me because I came in four weeks later than the other ones.

“I worked a little bit in the holiday and we didn’t have that much time off, so I'm working as hard as possible to be fit and for the moment I feel OK.

“We will be ready for next week. It's different from today. We had a hard training week with double sessions so obviously some people are a little bit tired, but now it's back to the real business, so we will see how we are, and I'm confident we will do fine.”

The result is a leaner, fitter group of players who are reaping the rewards. Statistics supplied to Bleacher Report by Opta show that City players are running significantly further in the first five Premier League games of this season than they were over the corresponding period 12 months ago.

City have run 570.7 kilometres in the five Premier League games under Guardiola, with only Liverpool charting higher by that same metric. Last season, City were 16th on the list, having clocked up just 532.3km.

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The total distance covered by Premier League teams so far this season.

How surprised are you to see Mourinho's team on the bottom here? pic.twitter.com/OMWIoqqgkn

— Football Super Tips (@FootySuperTips) September 20, 2016"

If this team can’t outthink and outpass the opposition, it’s likely they will outrun them.

2. Individual players have been drastically improved

There’s only so much business a club can do in one transfer window. Too much upheaval and too many new faces can cause problems. Guardiola inherited a struggling squad but knew he wouldn’t be able to make seismic changes to the playing staff. He needed to get more out of those already there, which is something he has proved masterful at in his previous jobs.

What Guardiola has done is spectacular. He’s raised the level of every player, even those who performed well last season. De Bruyne and Fernandinho, arguably City’s two best players in Pellegrini’s final year in charge, have found a new level. David Silva, who dipped drastically last term, has been sensational again. Sergio Aguero is scoring at an even more alarming rate than before.

But it’s perhaps Raheem Sterling, Aleksandar Kolarov and Nicolas Otamendi who best exemplify Guardiola’s ability to maximise a player’s talent.

Sterling was a broken young man after a difficult end to last season and a poor European Championship. He was vilified by the media, which reached hostile levels during the summer. This season, though, he’s been reborn, contributing three goals and five assists, as well as showcasing his pace and skill every time he’s stepped out onto the pitch. He’s been superb.

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Raheem Sterling has played a part in 8 goals in his last 6 games for @ManCity (3 goals & 5 assists) #PL #MCFC pic.twitter.com/fAGVoHyXSp

— Sky Sports Statto (@SkySportsStatto) September 17, 2016"

Kolarov was written off before the season started, but Guardiola had other ideas. The Serb had often struggled with the defensive side of the game during his five seasons at the club, and it was widely felt he would struggle under Guardiola, who favours a high-pressing game.

What a turnaround it’s been. Not only has he been one of the best players, he’s moved position, largely playing as a centre-half. He’s defended superbly and showcased his superb range of passing, starting attacks from deep with pinpoint balls that have ripped sides apart. His transformation has been remarkable, and Guardiola must take much of the praise.

And Otamendi’s excesses have been curbed. The reckless tendency to go to ground too easily has, to an extent, been removed, and City now have a more stable centre-half. His passing, like Kolarov’s, has also become a feature of City’s game, with his ability to find team-mates with balls between the lines bringing an added dimension to the team’s play.

OLI SCARFF/Getty Images

3. Team spirit

"The first target is team spirit and to play good as much as possible, and then after try to win one game and then a second one, then another,” Guardiola said at his City unveiling back in July.

"What I want is for our supporters and the people who love football to enjoy and be proud of what we did. Afterwards, we will see what is our level. Maybe we achieve titles, but if the people are not proud of us, it is nothing.

"It's a challenge. That's why I am here. But I cannot do it alone. We need our fans. Without that, it is impossible.

"As soon as possible we are going to try and create a team spirit. We need to create something special between each other. That is the most important thing. The rest will come."

Guardiola has been true to his word. He’s introduced various changes to the team’s routine, including scrapping hotel stopovers the night before home matches to allow his players additional time with their families. He trusts his players and, as he said to FIFA back in 2011: “I’m not a policeman.”

“We have to be responsible and everyone is very professional,” right-back Bacary Sagna said earlier in the season, according to Stuart Brennan at the Manchester Evening News. “You have to go to bed early and think about the game. Everyone is professional about it. Everyone eats in a good way. Everyone is willing to work very hard and the first step is to be fit. To be fit, you have to eat healthy.”

PAUL ELLIS/Getty Images

Guardiola also insists the players eat together after home matches, rather than leaving of their own accord. Again, this is an attempt to foster a togetherness, as well as monitor their vitamin intake as closely as possible.

It’s clearly working. The players look happier, with their performances on the pitch displaying a newfound desire to fight for one another. It’s made them harder to beat—a more forceful, formidable side than ever before.

City are now strong favourites for the Premier League title, and many believe they can make an aggressive assault on the Champions League. Guardiola won't be getting too carried away, but the improvements at City are clear for all to see.

Rob Pollard is Bleacher Report's lead Manchester City correspondent and follows the club from a Manchester base. All quotes and information were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.

Follow him on Twitter @RobPollard_.