Back on the opening weekend of the season, after a defeat to Tottenham Hotspur and as the protracted summer-long pursuit of Harry Kane appeared destined to fail, Pep Guardiola was ever so slightly worried for the campaign ahead. “I didn’t know what would happen,” he admitted in the build-up to this return fixture at the Etihad.
What happened was that Manchester City shook themselves down, won 20 of their next 24 games and opened up a commanding lead at the top of the Premier League table that convinced most of us that they had won the title by Christmas. It was as if they did not actually need a £150m striker – or indeed any kind of striker – after all. The question is Pep, how are you feeling now?
