Media Watch: "City are unstoppable"

One never tires of reading praise for City and – while three games in a week would always herald plenty of discussion – the manner of the Blues’ trio of triumphs has left football fans and journalists pleasingly loquacious.

A Sergio Aguero hat-trick inspired Pep Guardiola’s men to their most recent rout – Saturday’s 6-0 thrashing of Watford at Vicarage Road – with Gabriel Jesus, Nicolas Otamendi and Raheem Sterling also on the scoresheet.

Many have dubbed the performance the best since Guardiola’s arrival, including ESPN’s David Mooney.

He wrote: “Could the team that battered Liverpool 5-0 last Saturday and then strolled to a 4-0 victory against Dutch champions Feyenoord the following Wednesday get any better?

“You bet it could: A third stunning performance in seven days, this the best of the lot, laid down a marker for the season for Pep Guardiola and Manchester City.

“This was probably the club’s best showing since he arrived (and for a good while before that), and things really look to be clicking into place.

“Make no mistake, Watford didn’t play badly -- City just didn’t let them play at all.

“There are so many plus points Guardiola will take from this victory. Of course, the scoreline was emphatic and it demonstrates how the team are finding the solution to last season’s problems of missing chances, but the performance with it was ridiculously good.

“Watford were chasing shadows when City had the ball, as through-balls found their targets time and again, while out of possession the visitors were able to pin their hosts back with an excellent high press.

“Maybe the biggest result of the last three games, though, is just how well Sergio Aguero and Gabriel Jesus are linking up. Their partnership could be one of the most destructive in Premier League history.”

The Mail’s Adam Crafton agreed: “In Spain, they use the phrase ganar sin despeinarse to describe victories as handsome as these.

“It translates as to win without messing your hair up, and Manchester City’s magnificence here was such that you might imagine some players were able to exit Vicarage Road without breaking into the merest sweat.

“This was a masterclass, the kind of orchestral exhibition for which Pep Guardiola is famed.

“At times here, City made it appear so easy, so straightforward that you might believe it all to be a choreographed show; so pinpoint were the passes, so rehearsed seemed the movement. But this is not effortless football, this is a fine-tuned blend of art and graft, beauty and industry.

“On the days it all comes together, it is a bewitching experience. We have seen this from Guardiola teams at Barcelona and Bayern Munich and the evidence of the past week suggests it may now become the norm at City, too.

“Three games against Liverpool at home and Feyernoord and Watford away have yielded 15 goals in favour and not one against.

“The doubters will point to a similarly blockbuster start from City last season and the manner in which it all fizzled out as winter approached but this was an ominous demonstration of their qualities.”

Harry Pratt of the Express echoed: “Pep Guardiola’s men are simply unstoppable right now. With Sergio Aguero and Gabriel Jesus plundering goals wherever they go, they are way too hot to handle.

“They have not lost in 15 league games and have smashed 15 goals in their last three outings.

“This trip was supposed to provide a stern examination of the theory that Pep’s pacesetters are a far stronger unit than in the Spaniard’s opening year at the helm. But City dominated possession and camped in their opponents’ half.”

Paul Doyle’s review for the Observer read: “Manchester City have blasted their way to the top of the Premier League and only an exceptional team will be able to challenge them.

“Watford, watched by Elton John and unbeaten before Pep Guardiola’s men rocked up here, fancied their chances but were blown away by a three-goal salvo before half-time.

“City did not relent and struck the same number again in the second half, bringing their tally to 15 goals from their past three matches, this demonstration of their attacking power coming after the demolitions of Liverpool and Feyenoord.”

The Mirror’s Mike Walters admired City’s rampant firepower.

“Pep Guardiola’s exotic assortment of forwards is the most powerful nuclear arsenal in the Premier League,” he stated.

“Look at the names before you hide behind the sofa for a quick prayer: Aguero, Jesus, [Kevin] De Bruyne, Sterling, [David] Silva.

“If there is a more exciting front five in the country, let’s see them.”

Elsewhere, Pat Nevin was particularly impressed with Sterling’s display.

As the BBC report, the former Chelsea winger raved: “He was up at the level of the rest of them for the technical play, as well...

“He was fabulous today, but you could say that about just about every player.”

As is becoming a regular occurrence, De Bruyne was also singled out for praise by John Brewin of ESPN.

“The attacking talent that Pep Guardiola has at his disposal at Manchester City was too much for Watford,” he purred.

“With Kevin De Bruyne and David Silva pulling the strings in midfield, Sergio Aguero grabbing a hat trick and Gabriel Jesus also scoring, an awesome six-shooting display of attacking quality fired the Vicarage Road visitors top of the Premier League.

“De Bruyne’s talent has never been in much doubt, give or take Jose Mourinho’s sidelining of him at Chelsea, but his conversion into City’s deep-lying playmaker reveals a new dimension to his excellence.

“It also has solved the conundrum of fitting him and David Silva into the same team and, when City enjoy the dominance of possession they exerted here, using two players with eyes for a through ball makes perfect sense.”

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