Rayan Cherki’s fifth goal of the season earned Manchester City a crucial win at Nottingham Forest
Manager Pep Guardiola believes the “fog” has lifted at Manchester City, but maintains he has not discovered a magical solution to revitalize the squad.
Rayan Cherki’s late goal secured a hard-fought 2-1 victory at Nottingham Forest on Saturday, briefly propelling them to the Premier League’s top spot.
Arsenal subsequently reclaimed the lead following their own 2-1 triumph over Brighton, but City remain just two points adrift.
They finished third in the previous season, trailing champions Liverpool by 13 points, after having clinched the preceding four titles.
A slump of one win in 13 matches across all competitions, including a sequence of five consecutive defeats between October and November, disrupted their campaign, and they were also eliminated from the Champions League by Real Madrid in the knockout stage – their earliest exit in 12 years.
Guardiola stated: “Managers are not magicians; we decide what to do, click our fingers, and everything becomes clear.
“Sometimes, time is necessary. Last season, how often did you witness me here judging and criticizing the club?
“I could have, given my extensive managerial career. How many [times]? Never, ever. It wasn’t about any individual; something… something was amiss, like a fog enveloping Manchester, surrounding our training center. We were missing something.”
Guardiola – whose team travels to Sunderland on New Year’s Day – engaged in several discussions with his squad during the Club World Cup in America over the summer and believes the turning point occurred there.
He said: “When we were eliminated by Al Hilal, it wasn’t just the defeat itself, but the fact that we were performing so well there. Then came the holidays, so I said, ‘OK, go on holidays,’ but I was frustrated because we were playing well there, training well with the guys, and competing well.
“The location we were in, Boca Raton in front of the beach, everyone was content. We had many dinners, many discussions [about] what we need to do next season. What we have to do. We wanted to prolong it, just to experience that.
“After speaking with Pep [Lijnders] and James [French], Manel [Estiarte], Hugo [Viana], Txiki [Begiristain], we turned around and said something changed. Something [you can feel].
“Energy, energy, energy. We lost it last season. We started to train better, compete better.
“It doesn’t guarantee victory, but it allows you to recognize the team. Now it’s eight consecutive victories. It’s not easy, but we compete in a certain way. We must improve, absolutely, but this mindset is better.”
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