Revealed: Manchester City squad’s heartfelt Pep Guardiola chat that sparked resurgence | OneFootball

Manchester City’s recent return to form came in the backdrop of a heartfelt conversation between Pep Guardiola and the first-team players, the manager has revealed.

City are unbeaten in eight games in all competitions since the end of August and climbed up to second place in the Premier League table after Erling Haaland’s brace secured a 2-0 win over Everton at the Etihad Stadium last weekend.

The Blues made a worrying start to the 2025-26 season as back-to-back losses to Tottenham and Brighton in City’s first three league games brought back memories of the recent season, which was Guardiola’s most challenging season in charge of the eight-time Premier League winners.

However, City have looked a different proposition altogether since the September international break and owe a huge thanks to Haaland, whose goals have been the single-most important factor in driving Manchester City back into the Premier League title race.

City suffered a sobering season last term as they finished trophyless and sealed a respectable yet disappointing third-place finish in the Premier League with their lowest points total in the division under Guardiola (71).

A Round of 16 exit in the UEFA Champions League against Real Madrid was followed by a gutting FA Cup final loss to Crystal Palace – which succinctly summarised a sudden yet heavy drop for the Blues, who won the Premier League every year between 2021-24.

After making a stuttering start to the new season, Guardiola and co have well and truly turned a corner and look in pole position to build on their momentum and challenge the likes of Arsenal and Liverpool for the Premier League title.

Speaking in a press conference ahead of a tricky test away at Aston Villa on Sunday, Guardiola was asked whether the determination to not accept a mid-table finish and ensure a third-place league finish last term set his side up for the way they are playing at the moment.

“Absolutely, we realised that if we…the players are the first; they came to me a month ago and said to me, ‘Pep, we don’t want to live the season that we lived last season.’ They are the first,” Guardiola said on Friday.

“So I never expect one player, even last season, that played in front of 65,000, 70,000 people and they want to perform properly and well. They have pride. I know those guys and they want to do it. But we were empty, drained, for the success that we had in the past, for the injuries, for many, many things.

“And when you realise, ‘Okay, it’s not a problem. Life always cannot be perfect, always we cannot win all the time.’ As much as you realise what you have to do to get better, we will be a good team.

“We will be a good team. As I said before, we are not consistent for 90, 95 minutes yet. But even in the bad moments, we are quite stable and yeah, we create some moments that are good.”

Sunderland overtook Manchester City in second place in the table after a stunning 2-1 win over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Saturday but Guardiola and his men can return to second place and keep up the pressure on Arsenal with three points over Aston Villa on Sunday.