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Watch Manchester City vs Borussia M’gladbach live streaming as Pep ready to show Europe the new MCFC after he humiliated Man Utd on their own turf last weekend.
Manchester City courted Pep Guardiola for years, and the weekend’s 2-1 win in the Manchester derby truly showed us why that masterplan meant so much to them. For most of the first half at Old Trafford against Mourinho’s United, Guardiola’s side mesmerised their opponents with the kind of football the perpetually intense Catalan dreams about night and day. Passing and pressing perfected, as a hitherto impressive United were made to look fragile and slow-witted, until they awoke after the break. Indeed, City’s stoic resistance in the closing stages caught the eye almost as much as their breathtaking opening.
Having closely watched Guardiola’s Bayern for three years, I suggested in a pre-season column that City’s talented squad would quickly take on board their new manager’s ideas, just as the players had at Sabener Strasse in Munich. City have won all four of their Premier League games, and are now 1.94 favourites to win the title.
Just as Robert Lewandowski did in Germany, star striker Sergio Aguero has thrived under Guardiola, or at least he did until picking up a domestic ban. Unlike his predecessor Manuel Pellegrini, Pep has found a way to accommodate both David Silva and Kevin De Bruyne. Just as he did with Javier Mascherano at Barcelona and Philipp Lahm at Bayern, he has shown an ability to re-mould players, converting Aleksandar Kolarov into a surprisingly solid central defender.