Pep Guardiola says running less is secret to Manchester City's surge in form

Ahead of Premier League game against Brighton, Spanish manager believes his team were trying too hard and needed to let the ball do the work

MANCHESTER CITY RATINGS: Zack Steffen 6 – Made a couple of handy saves to deny Birmingham on the counter. His second half was much shakier, however. Getty

Joao Cancelo 6 – Decent in spells but didn’t really manage to impact the game in an attacking capacity. Was substituted on the hour mark. Getty

Ruben Dias 7 – Was fortunate to avoid punishment for a wild first half tackle, but otherwise, the powerful defender remained solid. Reuters

Kyle Walker 8 – Impressive in the slightly unfamiliar Centre-back position. Moved across to Full back late in the game, with his overlapping runs causing havoc in the Birmingham half. PA

Benjamin Mendy 7 – Spent most of the game in the opposition’s half, adding good width to City’s play. Getty

Rodri 8– Controlled the midfield expertly. Broke down counterattacks exceptionally well, and hardly put a foot wrong on the ball. Getty

Riyad Mahrez 8 – Was heavily involved in two of City’s early goals. Had one of his own chalked off in the second half for an offside infringement. Getty

Kevin De Bruyne 9 – Enjoyed a sensational first 45 minutes, cutting Birmingham apart with several defence-splitting passes. Assisted Silva’s second goal before being rested. Reuters

Bernardo Silva 9 – Handed City a vital lead with a spectacular half-volley. Grabbed a second just minutes later, to cap off a superb afternoon’s work. Getty

Phil Foden 8 – Inventive as always in the City midfield. His strike from range to give his side a 3-0 lead was a worthy reward for his efforts. Getty

Gabriel Jesus 7 – The Brazilian is clearly low on confidence – as was evidenced by his composure in front of goal. Should really have scored a brace. Reuters

SUBS: Felix Nmecha 6 – Struggled to get into the game after coming on for the second half. Reuters

John Stones 7 – Comfortable in possession with very little to do in the way of defending. Getty

Taylor Harwood-Bellis 6 – Was largely untroubled at the back until the last 20 minutes. Jeremie Bela’s introduction certainly highlighted one or two weaknesses in the youngster's game. AFP

Liam Delap N/A – Came on too late to make a notable impact, with his only shot at goal being a header that was ballooned over the bar. Reuters

BIRMINGHAM CITY RATINGS: Andres Prieto 5 – Spilled a handful of shots that really should have been held on to. Very was little he could do about Man City’s three goals. Reuters

Maxime Colin 5 – Endured a torrid afternoon, tormented by the home side’s persistent runs in behind the Birmingham back-line. Getty

Jake Clarke-Salter 6 – Solid, if unspectacular. Help keep the score line respectable. AP

Mikel San Jose 5 – Decent in the air, but ultimately struggled to cope with the fast-paced nature of the game at times. AP

George Friend 7 – One of Birmingham’s best performers, adding good energy on the counterattack to solid defending in his own penalty area. Reuters

Maikel Kieftenbeld 6 – The captain did his best to stem the tide of City attacks, managing to make some fine interceptions throughout the match. Getty

Ivan Sunjic 5 – Was chasing shadows for much of the game. One to forget. Reuters

Jon Toral 5 – Looked a tad off the pace after making a number of rash tackles early on. AFP

Ivan Sanchez 6 – Lacked composure on the break but was one of the tidier Birmingham players in possession. Reuters

Jonathan Leko 7 – Very lively going forward, beating his man with regularity in the first half. Eye-catching pace and skill on a day where his side was well beaten. Reuters

Scott Hogan 5 – Cut an isolated figure for much of the game, with virtually no opportunities to properly test Steffen in the City goal. AFP

SUBS: Marc Roberts 7 – Made his mark in the second period with a few crunching tackles. Very positionally disciplined. AFP

Adam Clayton 6 – Worked hard but saw very little of the ball. Reuters

Lukas Jutkiewicz 6 – Almost sniffed out a goal from a spilled Steffen save, but just couldn’t stay onside. Reuters

Jeremie Bela 7 – Changed the complexion of the game in the final 20 minutes. Rattled the City bar following an excellent breakaway run. Getty

Pep Guardiola believes the secret to Manchester City’s recent surge is running less.

City are on their longest winning run for 20 months after chalking up six successive victories, including Cup triumphs away at Arsenal and Manchester United and arguably their best performance of the season when they defeated Chelsea 3-1 at Stamford Bridge.

But whereas some managers call for their team to put in more effort, Guardiola thinks City were trying too hard and are now prospering because they are letting the ball do the work.

City’s fortunes have been transformed since their 1-1 draw with relegation-threatened West Bromwich Albion. And Guardiola said: “The only difference is that we run less. We were playing running too much. With football you have to walk – or run much less, without the ball you have to run. But with the ball you stay more in position and let the ball run, not you. That’s improved in these games.”

Guardiola feels City were trying to run themselves back into shape after they lacked their usual build-up to a campaign, but in the process forgot about the importance of allowing the ball to come to them.

“From day one we lost it a bit this season,” he said. “My fault – the message was not clear but we came back with the principles, especially the players need time to get the best condition after no pre-season.”

City host Brighton on Wednesday in the start of three home league games in eight days. It is a spell that could end with them top of the table for the first time this season.

Guardiola is ignoring the bigger picture but admitted that he felt his side did not deserve to be described as favourites after some of their earlier displays.

“We tried to say to the players be calm because this is a strange situation and the most intelligent thing I can say is Brighton, Brighton, Brighton,” he said. “The rest are not in my thoughts for one second, only Brighton. And after that I can see what happens. Momentum can arrive and disappear in an instant.

"We didn't play well in the beginning to deserve to be up there, so the people who analyse the last games and say we are not candidates and others are. We dropped points to West Brom [at home] and West Ham away. The public opinion said we do not deserve to be contenders."

Brighton have only won two league games all season and have suffered seven straight defeats to City, conceding 13 in the last three, but Guardiola is an admirer of their progressive principles and their manager.

“They are a joy to watch and a joy to analyse,” he said. “They have the courage to play. I am a big fan of Graham Potter.”

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Chelsea 1 City 3: player ratings

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City will still be without Sergio Aguero, who sat out Sunday's FA Cup win over Birmingham and is set to miss the weekend game against Crystal Palace. Their record goalscorer is self-isolating as a close contact of someone who tested positive for coronavirus.

Guardiola shrugged off concerns that the Argentinian, whose contract expires in the summer, will not return to his best for City.

“I wish [he will],” he said. “He is in a good mood or he was and now is isolating. He is going to need some more training sessions.

"The only important news is the last 10-15 days before isolating he was perfect and this is the best news. We are only in January. The best part of the season is coming and hopefully we can have him.”

Gabriel Jesus and Kyle Walker made comebacks at the weekend after recovering from Covid-19, while Ferran Torres and Tommy Doyle are back in contention now.

“I was impressed with what they did [on Sunday], especially Kyle playing 90 minutes,” Guardiola said. “Ferran and Tommy lost weight, they are a little bit skinnier, two or three kilos but that’s normal. Every player who suffers this Covid recovers differently.”