This Manchester City team is beginning to grow as the season progresses | OneFootball

It will take time for this new-look Manchester City team to come together. Players are learning to play together and learn what it takes to play under Pep Guardiola. This process will not be a linear one, and it will take time to completely come together. There are clear signs that this City is beginning to grow, and that stood out last night as Pep Guardiola’s side beat Borussia Dortmund 4-1 at the Etihad last night.

Manchester City overcame a slow start to emphatically beat Borussia Dortmund last night.

Borussia Dortmund started last night’s UEFA Champions League league phase fixture well in the opening 10 minutes. Niko Kovac’s side dominated possession early on and dropped the City defence deep to begin the game. After the 10th minute, Manchester City began to dictate the match before Phil Foden opened the scoring in the 22nd minute and Erling Haaland doubled City’s lead 7 minutes later. The ability to ride out a slow start and then proceed to dictate proceedings indicates that this iteration of Pep Guardiola’s team is coming together.

The second half performance from City wasn’t as polished as the first half. Phil Foden made it 3-nil with a sublime goal in the 57th minute. After Niko Kovac made four substitutions after the hour mark, his team did get back into the game. They pulled a goal back in the 72nd minute through Waldemar Anton and did have their moments to make it 3-2 before Rayan Cherki ended the contest with a sublime goal in the 91st minute. While Dortmund upped the ante, City defended resolutely and dug in as a collective group. That togetherness and spirit, which was on display last night, will form the foundation from which any success this City team has will come.

You can see the connections forming all over the pitch in this new-look Manchester City team. At the back, Matheus Nunes, John Stones, Josko Gvardiol, and Nico O’Reilly played well. Ruben Dias added solidity late on defensively when City needed it. In midfield, Nico has gone up a level as a player, and his strong play is allowing Phil Foden, Tijjani Reijnders, and Rayan Cherki to do what they do best. Bernardo Silva calmed his team down when he came on, and he remains a key player for his team. Up front, Jeremy Doku and Savinho were superb and put in their best performances as a wing pairing. They can frustrate at times, but they are growing as players. Erling Haaland scored and was superb, and as City’s captain, he set the tone for his team last night.

All told, you can see this City growing together, and that stood out last night and during Manchester City’s win over Bournemouth last Sunday.

Pep Guardiola wants to continue to see his team grow.

Speaking after City’s win over Borussia Dortmund, Pep Guardiola told the media that he wants his team to continue to grow and evolve. He explained: “The body language, how they compete, how they are…I said the same when we lost against Aston Villa [10 days ago]. It was the same at the FIFA Club World Cup.”

“We have special opponents in the Premier League; Arsenal look unbeatable in that at the moment.”

“It’s important to be good now, but I want to see the team grow. Working hard to be better and better.”

Pep Guardiola is beginning to get his wish. His team is growing together, and that has stood out in their past two wins over Bournemouth and Borussia Dortmund. While it is exciting to see this team grow, the journey they are on isn’t a straightforward one. There will be performances like the one City put in against Aston Villa at Villa Park to navigate. But the signs at the moment are overwhelmingly positive that Pep Guardiola’s side is growing, and that is all you can ask for at this stage of the season.