As the Club’s record marksman, the Argentine’s place in the pantheon of City greats is guaranteed and in 2018/19 he became only the second person after Thierry Henry to reach 20 goals in five consecutive Premier League campaigns.
At 31 his form in front of goal is proving to be evergreen and Guardiola feels sharing the responsibility with Gabriel Jesus has benefited his No.10, which is why he believes he’ll again be at his potent best.
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“Yes, I’m pretty sure [Aguero can maintain his form],” he said.
“He has to play well because Gabriel is there and Gabriel knows he has to play well because Sergio is there.
“To do what we did last season, they have to feel that.
“I was very impressed with the level Sergio played at in the Copa America. I was so happy.
“He’s an incredible person, I laugh a lot with him and he’s an incredible striker, so he’s going to help us like he has done before.
“In the Community Shield I felt Gabriel came back a little bit sharper than Sergio, but the previous season, Sergio played because I felt he was sharper.
“Everybody has to feel the pressure to reach this level. They know the next guy is incredible and they need to maintain an incredible level.”
The boss also expects Rodrigo to enjoy a strong first season in England.
A holding midfielder in his playing days, the 48-year-old has faced numerous questions about the Spaniard since he arrived in July and has always reiterated a strong belief in his quality.
Guardiola’s been that impressed he believes the youngster is ready to hit the ground running and admits City will reap the benefits of the coaching he received from famed defensive tactician, Diego Simeone.
“He is a typical holding midfielder, like Michael Carrick and Sergio Busquets,” he added.
“He plays thinking what is best for the team.
“He’s young, tall and helps us with the long balls. He’s so intelligent. He learned at Atletico Madrid with Simeone and the work he did there is going to help us a lot.
“Sometimes players need more time, but after one week we realised this guy will be good for us.
“He knows that specific position well. He’s young so he’s going to improve.
“Like Laporte, in every training session he is incredibly focused. You talk and they understand. It’s not common to find these kinds of players.”
