Pep Guardiola conducted his pre-match press conference on Tuesday ahead of today's top-of-the-table clash with league leaders Arsenal.
Guardiola was keen to talk his players up ahead of a game he described as a “big, big battle” against, in his opinion, the best Arsenal side he will have faced in his time managing Manchester City.
Although Guardiola’s record in the league at the Emirates is impressive - one draw and five wins - he is well aware of the importance of today's fixture as his side look to close the gap to the league leaders.
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Despite talk of the magnitude of the contest, Guardiola did stress the Emirates outing would not be a title decider. The season has only just passed the halfway point, but the City boss did recognise the psychological boost a victory would give to his players.
Guardiola was complimentary of his team - who started the game against Aston Villa on Sunday with an uncharacteristic group huddle - when asked about the togetherness in the dressing room. The boss went on to describe his side as a group of “incredible human beings and incredible footballers”.
This is a strong change in narrative from the Guardiola we saw after his players came from 2-0 down at half-time against Tottenham to win 4-2 nearly four weeks ago. That day he said “we are far away from the team that we were”, despite his side showing great resilience to come back.
When asked about City’s prospects of defending their league title, he said: “Playing in this way? No chance."
Since the 4-2 win over Tottenham, City have won three games (including one against Arsenal in the FA Cup) and lost the return fixture with Spurs, but Guardiola looked far more upbeat in his pre-match press conference.
City played well against Aston Villa as they took a 3-0 lead and perhaps Guardiola is beginning to see some of the things he demanded during his incredible post-match interview after the win over Spurs.
"Sometimes little things need to be adjusted," he said on Tuesday. Whatever Guardiola tells the media, Wednesday's game is a crucial one.
Whether Guardiola will still be as complimentary of his players after the game is another question, but he appears to have rediscovered his connection with the team.
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