Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola warns his team to expect a shake up after 2-0 win against Brighton

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Even during victory they all copped it. John Stones was not safe. Nor Nicolas Otamendi. Fernandinho's day would not end without reproach.

Manchester City might well have hurdled the first weekend without clumsily trailing a leg like their title rivals but Pep Guardiola demanded more. He always demands more. Just ask Vincent Kompany, on the receiving end of his manager's unique deliverance of instructions on more than a few occasions.

It has become a hallmark of Guardiola's time in England, the touchline routine, with arms waving and vocal cords stretching.

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has warned his players they should expect a shake up

City continue to operate with three at the back and do so more than competently, but perfection it is not. Not for the manager, anyway.

He hopped from foot to foot as he observed the formation anxiously. It was a formation he introduced last year, then shelved, before he re-introduced it in April. The arrival of energetic full backs has emboldened Guardiola to persist.

'Maybe he wants to try to start like this,' City forward Kevin De Bruyne said. 'But it can go quick . . . sometimes it's three (at the back), sometimes it's five or four. These days you need to adapt quickly. We're changing constantly. If their goalkeeper has the ball, it can look like a 4-3-3 or a 5-2-3. It depends how we want to press them or whether you want to go back.'

Guardiola selected Kompany, who looked assured on his 300th start for the club, albeit out on the right of a three. Nonetheless he was still on the receiving end of a shout from Guardiola to open up and provide an option.

Sergio Aguero scored the first of City's two goals against Brighton on Saturday

'I've played it (the formation) before,' Kompany said. 'Roberto Mancini did it a few times. We are professionals and should be able to adapt. The team which won the first title (in 2011-12) was all about big personalities, tough guys. The system is meticulous.'

Another defender may still arrive, with City keen on Middlesbrough's Ben Gibson.

'This year our team is loaded. Our bench is unbelievable. And we've still got a few injuries,' De Bruyne added. 'It's never easy to play against 10 men behind the ball. You need patience.'

A 70th-minute Sergio Aguero strike broke Brighton's resistance before Lewis Dunk's own goal. However, Guardiola maintained he will tinker this term, as he did for much of his first.

'Last season I rotated the team a lot and I will do that again,' Guardiola said. 'It depends on them (the players) and if they accept my decision or not. If they don't accept it, it will be their problem, not mine.'