Pep Guardiola Making Good on His Promise as City Are Enjoying the Game Again
"And obviously for our fans, at the end to try and [make them] proud. If our fans are proud with what they see, [I’ll be happy], because the fans around the world are so intelligent. When they see their players, they realise immediately if they are committed or what they do or not, and of course we are going to try. We start to work on that."
When Pep Guardiola laid out his priority as Manchester City manager at his first press conference as the club’s boss, his message was clear. His players and staff have to make the City fans proud of their efforts. If the supporters are leaving the stadium impressed with the desire, commitment and quality of football, it’s a sure sign things are going in the right direction.
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Against West Ham United, Guardiola’s fifth game in charge, he took a giant stride toward delivering on his own brief. Last time out, at Stoke City, the Blues ran 10km further than they had done in the same fixture last season and won 4-1. That had the fans in the away end at the Bet365 Stadium singing the Catalan manager’s name on a loop.
The level was raised on Sunday, particularly in the first half, with City moving the ball quickly and intelligently, putting together some wonderful pass-and-move football that left the Hammers struggling to compete.
Kevin De Bruyne was pulling the strings with his superb range of passing. David Silva, freed by Guardiola, is revelling in his more expansive role. Nolito continues to impress, and Raheem Sterling’s improvement is now a full-on renaissance.
Sterling opened the scoring after confidently dispatching Nolito’s ball across goal. Fernandinho headed in De Bruyne’s pinpoint free-kick soon after. City were rampant, and a hammering appeared to be on the cards.
However, Guardiola’s City are from the finished article. Their level dropped in the second half—that kind of intensity is difficult to maintain—and West Ham found a route back into the game, Michail Antonio heading in at the far post after outjumping Gael Clichy.
Perhaps a better side would have gone on and caused City further problems, but West Ham are struggling at this early juncture, affected by injuries and looking somewhat disjointed. City gradually regained control, Silva the creator-in-chief, and Sterling scored a quite brilliant goal to seal the win.
"I did nothing [to improve Sterling’s form]," Guardiola said. "I try to do the best for all the players. Raz has scored two goals. That’s good, but for me the games before were more brilliant.
"The first half he didn’t win. He scored, but he didn’t win as many balls as he has in previous games.
"Of course we are so pleased about his spirit. He’s so dynamic, so aggressive with and without the ball—I’m so happy he’s playing [well].
"I just tried to help him, to tell him he’ll receive the ball more often if he stays in his position. After that, it’s his talent. When City bought this player with an important amount of money, it’s because of his talent. I’m happy for him, for us and for the national team."
City’s fifth win from five games under Guardiola leaves them top of the league heading into the international break, with a derby against Manchester United on the horizon.
The main reason for such a vast improvement in a relatively short space of time appears to be the enjoyment returning to City’s play. The players are relishing their football again. They were tired and lacking ideas as last season drew to a close. Former manager Manuel Pellegrini’s voice was seemingly no longer having the desired effect, and City’s performances reflected the apathy that had gripped the squad.
Guardiola has freshened things up. The players are learning and responding to his tactics and training methods.
The most exciting aspect for the City supporters is the fact they still have to welcome some big-name signings to the side. Leroy Sane, Ilkay Gundogan and Claudio Bravo have yet to play a game. It’s a frightening prospect for the rest of the league.
"I was a bit nervous at some point 😉😅, but in the end a well-deserved win after an impressive 1st half 👏🏽👏🏽⚽ #MCIWHU pic.twitter.com/VFeJkmbM95
— Ilkay Gündogan (@Guendogan8) August 28, 2016"
Ominously for City's rivals, Guardiola feels his players are not at their peak level.
"We can play better, no doubt about that," he said. "We are just two months here, not too much, and I didn’t expect to play in this short time like this. We played a good first half. After we received the goal from West Ham from their first chance, we had the mentality to control our emotions very well.
"We didn’t concede any more chances and we made a lot more. We deserved to win by more goals, but the performance was good. We need Ilkay and Sane because these guys who played today cannot play every game.
"From the first training session, the friendlies and the official games, I have no complaints about the attitude and behaviour of the squad."
Of all City’s summer signings, it was perhaps Nolito who was the most under-the-radar. In today’s transfer market, where the concept of value has been skewed so wildly, to land a Spain international of his quality for £13.8 million was a shrewd piece of business.
At 29, he’s far from a long-term option. He isn’t world class, and he is unlikely to ever set the pulses racing in quite the same way some of the club’s other acquisitions will.
But he is a smart player, one who guarantees an impressive level of productivity. He’s racked up three goals and two assists in his first five matches for the club.
He came off the bench to score twice in the 4-1 win over Stoke City, having scored and looked excellent in the first leg of City’s Champions League play-off against Steaua Bucharest the previous week.
"Gran partido y excelente victoria! ⚽👊🏻 vamos City ... Great game and amazing win! #cmoncity pic.twitter.com/ppLmBJ93pS
— Nicolas Otamendi (@Notamendi30) August 28, 2016"
He isn’t explosive, and he looks slightly ungainly on the ball—but he is incredibly effective. He knows when to release the ball, resisting the temptation to take too many touches. He can play neat one-twos, is comfortable with both feet, can take players on and works hard when City lose possession. He’s an ideal fit for Guardiola’s system.
The one major negative was Sergio Aguero’s elbow on Winston Reid, which could see him banned for three matches. If that happens, he would miss the Manchester derby—the much-anticipated first match between Guardiola and Jose Mourinho in England.
It would be a huge blow for City, as Guardiola admitted afterward, "but we will play with 11," he added, in typically bullish fashion.
His City revolution is in its infancy, and there is likely to be plenty more to come. The signs, though, are good. Three years of this, perhaps even more, and City are likely to be in a far healthier position than they were when he arrived.
Rob Pollard is Bleacher Report's lead Manchester City correspondent and follows the club from a Manchester base. All quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow him on Twitter @RobPollard_.
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