1,000 Games In, Guardiola Has New Energy For New Era

Sunday began pinch a ceremony of Pep Guardiola and ended successful nan aforesaid manner.

The 54-year-old chalked up his 716th triumph connected his landmark 1,000th crippled arsenic manager, overseeing his Manchester City broadside emphatically dispatching champions Liverpool astatine Etihad Stadium.

"We've got, Guardiola..." to nan tune of 'Glad All Over' was nan chant from nan location religious astatine full-time, paying tribute to their leader successful nan knowledge that nan foundations are successful spot for his latest rebuild and a tilt a seventh Premier League crown.

The Spaniard - and City - looked tired past season, their power sapped by a lengthy wounded database connected nan backmost of a record-breaking 4th Premier League triumph successful succession.

While nan Reds are faltering successful their quest to clasp their crown, nan caller humor instilled successful nan City squad signals a revitalisation for managerial mastermind Guardiola, who is starring City's complaint pinch a move to 2nd successful nan table, 4 points adrift of leaders Arsenal.

"Teams triumph nan Premier League erstwhile nan squad is increasing each month," said Guardiola.

"When that happens you get astatine nan extremity fighting for nan title. We talk a batch and nan emotion that we are successful that way.

"It's bully to still person nan emotion that we are backmost successful position of galore things. I person nan emotion it [the energy] is back."

The grin connected Guardiola's look erstwhile he walked onto nan transportation aft triumph complete Liverpool - taking rightful acclaim for his side's good triumph - said it all. It was nan look of a man that had recaptured nan enjoyment of football.

Since joining City from Bayern Munich successful 2016, Guardiola has changed nan look of English shot but past play was a chastening 1 successful which he grounded to triumph a awesome trophy for nan first clip successful 8 years.

Questions were being asked, is this extremity of Guardiola aliases tin he spell again?

Sunday's awesome capacity to swat speech a nine he said had pushed him to show nan champion type of himself answered immoderate doubts.

Guardiola has many times spoken astir nan "good vibe" astir nan broadside since nan Club World Cup successful nan summertime and that is now opening to show connected nan pitch.

In an era erstwhile set-pieces and agelong throws are successful vogue, City still play their trademark passing game, but nan caller loop of nan broadside person nan expertise to operation it up and spell agelong to nan large man Erling Haaland if needed.

The first extremity against Liverpool was an aged fashioned transverse into nan container from Matheus Nunes, which was nodded location by nan prolific Norwegian. He now has 14 convention goals successful 11 Premier League matches truthful acold this term.

The statistic besides show City person covered much crushed than immoderate different broadside successful nan Premier League this play (1268.7 km) - an mean of 115.3 km per game, which is up 5.5km from past season.

Guardiola fired a informing changeable to rival teams by saying: "We are much unpredictable successful nan measurement we onslaught and defend, and that is bully that nan opponents don't cognize what we are going to do.

"It is bully power to person during nan games."

Former City defender Nedum Onuoha told BBC Radio 5 Live: "The quality betwixt Guardiola successful those first 100 matches to nan past is almost for illustration it is simply a wholly different head successful nan measurement he sees his relationships pinch his players, nan style of play.

"I deliberation he is personification who has adapted complete nan years based connected really shot is changing. He has had his digit connected nan beat of really that is."

Ex-City midfielder Michael Brown added: "All of a abrupt we are seeing him holding nan shot successful nan area astatine nan extremity of games.

"In nan Champions League they were nether unit and they played nonstop into Haaland. That wouldn't person been nan lawsuit previously. Defensively, they are seeing retired games."

City person had their bumps successful nan roadworthy this play pinch defeats against Brighton, Tottenham and Aston Villa, but 2 of those losses came backmost successful August.

A summertime of alteration saw nan aged defender specified arsenic Kevin de Bruyne, Kyle Walker, Jack Grealish, Ilkay Gundogan and Ederson departing aft playing a cardinal domiciled successful their caller years of success.

But a tally of 1 nonaccomplishment successful their past 14 matches shows City person regained nan consistency of results that has led them to six titles successful 8 years and nan beatified grail of nan Champions League.

Spearheaded by extremity instrumentality Haaland, nan unstoppable striker's extremity saw him return his awesome full to 28 goals for nine and state successful conscionable 18 appearances truthful acold this season.

Following nan nonaccomplishment astatine Villa past month, Guardiola asked for his midfielders and wingers to spot successful pinch goals and nan unheralded Nico Gonzalez and dazzling Jeremy Doku answered that telephone against Liverpool.

In nan absence of Rodri, chap Spaniard Gonzalez has grown into nan number six domiciled and had much touches of nan shot than immoderate City player, while left-back Nico O'Reilly superbly shackled Mohamed Salah for ample periods of nan contest, winning much tackles (five) than immoderate different subordinate connected nan field.

"Nico O'Reilly was amazing," said Guardiola. "In general, everyone was bonzer because they are still nan champions."

Guardiola besides singled retired Bernardo Silva for praise saying nan midfielder "was there" moreover though he "struggled" past season, adding: "He has been an unthinkable signing for america and successful nan measurement we played [against Liverpool] he is simply a master."

The Portuguese, on pinch team-mate Phil Foden, ran much than 12.5km connected Sunday - only doubly has a subordinate covered much crushed successful a Premier League crippled this season.

Former Premier League striker Dion Dublin said: "Guardiola has sewage his squad wherever he wants them again. This is City of old. This is nan City that we remember, dominating games.

"I do judge Liverpool, connected this occasion, were outclassed by a squad who are conscionable showing america not to constitute them off."

The Reds dropped to eighth spot successful nan table, 8 points down nan Gunners, and leader Arne Slot said he feels 5 defeats "is excessively many" and nan "last point we should deliberation astir now is nan title race".

Guardiola and City, though, will beryllium doing precisely nan opposite.

Additional reporting by BBC Sport's Chris Collinson