Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola is finally learning to love 'legend' Sergio Aguero as Watford are blown away

  • Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola still feels his side can improve this term
  • Sergio Aguero has finally won over his demanding manager with leading role 
  • Guardiola watched on as City side made it three wins in seven days at Watford 
  • Hornets entered the match unbeaten in the league but they were overpowered 

Fifteen goals in seven days and after this latest dazzling deluge, Pep Guardiola reclined into a chair and at long last appeared at ease with his Manchester City team.

The statistics were quite spectacular. City had 28 shots in a Premier League away game. They made 637 passes to Watford's 311. Six City starters had passing accuracy beyond 90 per cent.

This was the Abu Dhabi dream, the reason City pursued Guardiola for so long. Having declared his satisfaction, Guardiola was rather philosophical as he reflected on the flaws that derailed his first season in English football.

Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero celebrates opening the scoring against Watford

Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero celebrates opening the scoring against Watford

City have scored 15 goals in a week without conceding a single goal to send out a message

City have scored 15 goals in a week without conceding a single goal to send out a message

'I know it's always failures when you don't win, so we were not good enough,' he said. 'Chelsea were better, and Tottenham were better. You have to accept it. In football, in sport, you accept that in some periods the opponent is better. That is the only secret.


'I think in the period of a career, there are maybe 10 or 15 per cent of the happiest moments and 85 or 90 per cent sad moments. You lose more than you win. Today it was like, "Oh no, we cannot improve (on that performance)". But of course we can improve!'

For City's rivals, the thought of this squad improving even further is an ominous warning.

'We will see when we are going to face the last champions (Chelsea) in two weeks,' Guardiola said. 'We are making steps forward. We won a lot of games away last season, but that kind of performance we didn't see. My feeling is everybody knows what they have to do.'

City manager Pep Guardiola still believes his side are finding their feet with the new signings

City manager Pep Guardiola still believes his side are finding their feet with the new signings

But Aguero has benefited from the added competition to return to his brilliant best this term

But Aguero has benefited from the added competition to return to his brilliant best this term

As an antidote, it was curious to hear Watford manager Marco Silva reflect that City are still behind the level of Guardiola's Bayern Munich, who he encountered in the Champions League in charge of Olympiacos. 

Silva blamed the officials for two offside goals, and his defenders for conceding from two set-pieces but such excuses do a disservice to the levels City reached. This was a masterclass. 

City were at their free-wheeling best, their intoxicating brand of high-intensity attacking football blowing Watford into smithereens. 

City destroyed Watford with similar ease on the final day of last season. Yet that win came against a Walter Mazzarri team that had packed up for the campaign.

This triumph had a different feeling. Watford entered the match unbeaten in the Premier League this season. 

The Argentina striker shrugs off Christian Kabasele to score his third at Vicarage Road

The Argentina striker shrugs off Christian Kabasele to score his third at Vicarage Road

Guardiola knows that tougher tests lie ahead if his side are to clinch the Premier League title

Guardiola knows that tougher tests lie ahead if his side are to clinch the Premier League title

DON'T GO BREAKING MY HEART, PEP! 

Sir Elton John and City boss Pep Guardiola were all smiles in the tunnel ahead of the game at Vicarage Road, but the pop legend may well have felt like Saturday night was all right for fighting after Watford were crushed by the rampant visitors.

Sir Elton John and Pep Guardiola were in good spirits ahead of Watford versus Manchester City

Sir Elton John and Pep Guardiola were in good spirits ahead of Watford versus Manchester City

 

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Silva's side had kept three consecutive top-flight clean sheets. 

The stadium announcer declared this fixture pre-match as a battle to see who would top the Premier League table on Saturday evening. What followed, therefore, was truly magnificent.

Truly, double figures would not have flattered Guardiola's team, who reduced Watford to mannequins in a training exercise.

It may even prove to be the week that Sergio Aguero finally, at long last, won over his demanding manager. 

The Argentine was sensational here, sealing a hat-trick, having previously scored against Liverpool and Feyenoord.

Aguero is now only two goals away from matching Eric Brook's pre-war record of 177 City goals. 

The perceived wisdom this summer has been that the pursuit of Alexis Sanchez would have seen Aguero become the fall guy.

It feels churlish to say it about a talent as rich as Sanchez, but in time, Guardiola may reflect that his lapsed pursuit could be a positive. 

Gabriel Jesus scored City's third before half-time to add to his own tally so far this season

Gabriel Jesus scored City's third before half-time to add to his own tally so far this season

Raheem Sterling scored for the third game running as he took a late penalty to make it 6-0

Raheem Sterling scored for the third game running as he took a late penalty to make it 6-0

SUPER STAT 

Aguero has scored in eight consecutive Premier League away starts. 

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Aguero is in devastating form and the explosive talents of Gabriel Jesus, Raheem Sterling and Leroy Sane will all receive more time on the field without Sanchez adding further competition. 

It felt like progress to hear Guardiola speak of Aguero as a 'legend', call for the club to publicly celebrate his achievements and then speak of his frontman's progress.

'I like as a manager not to have just one, two, or three players defending, and same for who scores the goals,' Guardiola added.

'I like everyone to defend, everyone has to play, everyone has to move with the ball. The ball is the reasons the players are here.

'It's what it's all about. Everyone needs to be moving for the ball, the strikers especially, not to wait for the situation to come to them. I think Sergio and Gabriel Jesus are involved in this way now and for a manager, that's fantastic.'