Manchester City are starting to recover from their January wobble and have won all of their last three outings
The timing of Pep Guardiola’s ‘happy flowers’ rant was controversial at best.
While Manchester City were not at their best in the first half against Tottenham Hotspur, the Blues showed all their quality after the break to turn the match on its head. For many, the nature of the comeback would be enough of a catalyst to kick-start Guardiola’s team’s season.
But the 52-year-old knows his players better than anyone and knew further home truths needed to be dished out. “I want a reaction for all the club, all the reaction,” he said after the win.
“Not just players, staff and everyone. We are a happy flowers team.
“I don’t want to be happy flowers, I want to beat Arsenal. If we play in that way Arsenal will destroy us.
“I’m incredibly happy. But without change we aren’t going to win anything.”
Guardiola sensed that there had been complacency creeping into his City players and, in his view, the fans. In the two matches that have followed the rant, the Blues have reacted just how the boss expected they would.
Against Wolves, City were much more clinical and were able to dominate the game throughout. The Catalan manager admitted that he was pleased with his squad’s response but knew that the proof would be against Arsenal.
While the FA Cup fourth round clash will not live long in anyone’s memory, City again showed signs of their old selves. The Gunners were weakened far more than City but still showed glimpses as to why they are at the top of the league.
In the second half particularly, the Blues showcased the fire to win that Guardiola believed may have been missing. Although two positive results do not define a complete change in fortunes, Nathan Ake’s post-match quotes on Friday will be giving his manager the long-term hope that the tide is turning in City’s favour.
“He’s been in the game so long and seen everything,” Ake said. “He’s been at top, top clubs and probably did it to wake us up.
“It was needed and hopefully we can keep it going now. We thought: ‘Okay, we have to improve.’
“He’s been in the game so long, and seen everything, so he’s probably right and the only thing we can do as a team is fight back and show everyone and ourselves we still have that fight and hunger. Obviously he said it for a reason.
“Maybe it did dip a bit but over the last few games we have shown we want to try, we want to compete and we did that again here. We want to make sure we will keep fighting for everything.
“That’s the only thing we can do as a team and a club.” The message has clearly got through to the City players that more needs to be done if they wish to challenge for silverware this season.
City have been guilty of coasting during January but if Ake’s comments are anything to go by, the team are fully aware that they must move up through the gears from now on.
SOURCE: manchestereveningnews.co.uk
