Rayan Cherki’s fifth goal of the season earned Manchester City a crucial win at Nottingham Forest
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola believes the “fog” has lifted at Manchester City, but maintains he hasn’t discovered a magical solution to rejuvenate the team.
Rayan Cherki’s late goal secured a hard-fought 2-1 victory at Nottingham Forest on Saturday, briefly propelling them to the top of the Premier League table.
Arsenal later reclaimed the lead with their own 2-1 triumph over Brighton, leaving City just two points adrift.
They finished third last season, trailing champions Liverpool by 13 points, after having clinched the previous four league titles.
A run of one win in 13 matches across all competitions, including 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 aren’t magicians who can simply decide what to do, click their fingers, and have everything become clear.
“Sometimes, time is needed. Last season, how often did you see me here criticizing and judging the club?
“I could have, given my extensive track record as a manager. How many [times]? Never, ever. It wasn’t about any particular individual; there was something… a fog enveloping Manchester, surrounding our training center. We were missing something.”
Guardiola – whose team visits 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 that’s where the turning point occurred.
He explained: “When we played Al Hilal, it wasn’t just that we didn’t win, but that we were so good there. Then came the holidays, so I said, ‘OK, go on holidays,’ but I was frustrated because we were performing well there, the training was good, the competition was good.
“The environment we were in, Boca Raton by the beach, everyone was happy. We had many dinners, many discussions about what we need to do next season, what we have to do. We wanted to extend 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 had changed. Something [palpable].
“Energy, energy, energy. We lost it last season. We started to train better, compete better.
“It doesn’t guarantee victories, but it allows you to recognize the team. Now, it’s eight wins in a row. It’s not easy, but we compete the way we do. We absolutely have to improve, but this mindset is better.”
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