Man City have improved markedly claims Guardiola

Manchester City are playing better now than during their ten-match winning streak at the start of the season, according to their manager Pep Guardiola.

City, who face Stoke City in the league on Wednesday night, saw their form dip after that initial surge and are trying to make up an 11-point gap on runaway Premier League leaders Chelsea.

But there have been signs recently that Guardiola’s men are back to the fluent best, with seven wins in their last eight games allowing them to fight on in three different competitions.

Guardiola said: “We are playing better than the beginning. At the beginning we won games where we played good but the enthusiasm helped, we were in the beginning.

“Now I feel what we make is what we speak about in training a little bit more. The situations come more fluidly. Our build-up is more fluid; our game is a little bit better.”

(Photo by Catherine Ivill – AMA/Getty Images)

City have no fresh injury worries ahead of the visit of Stoke, who they defeated 4-1 in the reverse fixture back in August, with only long-term absentees Ilkay Gundogan and Gabriel Jesus missing.

But Guardiola revealed Jesus’ recovery from a broken foot is progressing well.

He added: “He went to Barcelona to see Ramon Cugat, the doctor, but after that two or three days he came back and every day he is with us – breakfast, lunch and of course the therapy with the physios.”