Manchester Evening News's Manchester City correspondent Stuart Brennan gives us the lowdown on the Premier League leaders, ahead of Southampton's trip to the Etihad Stadium.
It’s been a record-breaking start to a Premier League season, how impressed have you been by City so far this season?
Enormously impressed. I've been covering football for nearly 30 years and City have been playing some of the best stuff I have seen.
The midfield three of Fernandinho, De Bruyne and Silva have been outstanding, and the way the goals have been shared around (Sterling 12, Aguero 11, Jesus 10, Sane 8) says a lot about the way the attack has been playing.
What have been the key differences from last season under Pep Guardiola?
Two things - the defence has improved hugely, and the strikers, and others, are making more chances and finishing better. The arrival of Ederson, Walker and Mendy helped the back four, while Stones has matured brilliantly and Otamendi has also improved. City were pretty good going forward last season, but the players have now fully grasped Guardiola's principles and are implementing them beautifully.
What sort of game are you expecting on Wednesday when Southampton visit?
Like last year, which ended in a draw, another difficult encounter. Saints went ahead through a terrible Stones error last time, if I remember correctly, so that won't be happening this time. But Huddersfield have shown other teams how to frustrate City, even if ultimately their plan didn't work!
Share this: