Thursday 2 February 2017 10:13, UK
Manchester City’s 4-0 thrashing of West Ham at the London Stadium featured fantastic performances from their three young forward players. Pep Guardiola’s new-look City side is belatedly beginning to take shape, writes Adam Bate…
At the start of the week, Manchester City faced going into their trip to West Ham five points away from the Champions League places. In the hour before kick-off focus switched to the dropping of star striker Sergio Aguero and Pep Guardiola's £17m goalkeeper Claudio Bravo.
But for one evening at least, such concerns were swept away thanks to a display of attacking verve that was far too good for West Ham. The identity of the key figures in their 4-0 win at the London Stadium offers hope that the future will be bright for an awful lot longer too.
Gabriel Jesus scored his first goal and looked anything but a fledgling performer, showing intelligent movement to set up Kevin De Bruyne for the opener before netting himself. The Brazilian teenager, making his first Premier League start, looked full of energy from the outset.
Jesus almost caught out Darren Randolph within seconds and then did dispossess Winston Reid. His tracking back was as encouraging as his forward running and if anything his goal - inside 40 minutes - felt overdue. No need for adjustment periods when you are this good.
Guardiola got a laugh in the press room by comparing him to a watermelon - "you have to open and see if it is good or not" - but he was seriously impressed by Jesus's work-rate. "He helped us a lot with the first press because his pressing was so intense," said the City boss.
Injuries prevented Leroy Sane from making such an instant impact but he has come to the fore in recent weeks too, and was arguably even more impressive than Jesus. Having scored in his previous three appearances, he did everything but get a goal on Wednesday night.
There was his darting run for the second that left the full-back looking foolish before he showed great alertness to react quickest in intercepting a loose pass in the build-up to the third. His pace and purpose mark him out as a player of real quality.
Indeed, Sane was clocked as the quickest man on the pitch - followed by Jesus and Raheem Sterling. He and Jesus each made a game-high 73 high-intensity runs and no City player made more tackles and interceptions than the German. His coach was "delighted" with him.
"Every time we got the ball we have three strikers who are so, so quick," enthused Guardiola. "They make runs in behind that are so, so dangerous. With their pressing they were able to eliminate the first step and we created chances."
Of their defending, he added: "You know if their defenders have three or four seconds to find Carroll and Antonio then the ball will be good. When the strikers are the best defenders and the defenders are the best players in the build-up then you are a strong team."
Perhaps that selfless streak to the work of City's young forwards was best exemplified by the way that Sterling laid the ball off to Jesus for his goal.
Sterling only turned 22 in December but, remarkably, that makes him the eldest of Guardiola's new front three. None of City's rivals at the top end of the table can boast such a youthful forward line, not even Tottenham. Even Harry Kane is 23.
"These three guys are the future for the club," explained Guardiola. "They average 20 years old. You cannot see in Europe, in the big clubs, strikers who are younger than what Manchester City have. That is good for the future of the club."
So amid all the focus on ageing full-backs and keepers, as well as the hullabaloo surrounding Yaya Toure's return - and he was excellent against West Ham - almost by stealth Guardiola is overhauling this City side. The speed of pass that's essential in his teams could be returning.
Throw in John Stones, who completed only his second 90-minute clean sheet in a City shirt, and 25-year-old Kevin De Bruyne, and the nucleus of a new team is there. That's not always been obvious in a fraught first season but the 56,980 in attendance could hardly miss it.
"We've got Guardiola" had been the chant from the travelling City supporters even while the games was goalless but it gained more lustre as the goals began to go in. For while City remain fifth in the Premier League table, they are now only a point behind Spurs in second.
In fact, they are actually two points better off than they were at this stage of last season. Progress then, but not only in terms of points. With the arrival of Jesus and the return to fitness of Sane, Guardiola's new-look Manchester City finally seems to be taking shape.
