Pep Guardiola joked that he shed all his festive weight gain during Manchester City’s nerve-shredding 2-1 triumph at the City Ground against Nottingham Forest on Saturday afternoon.
The visitors had to be patient but were able to secure all three points through Rayan Cherki, who continues to impress following his summer arrival from Lyon.
“All the kilos I won over Christmas time in weight, today I lost it. I am fit again,” the City boss quipped to TNT Sports after watching his side edge past Sean Dyche’s side.
The Spaniard was effusive in his praise for his players’ attitude during a gruelling encounter that propelled the Citizens to the Premier League summit.
“The mentality was unbelievable, so really pleased again for the guys,” Guardiola declared, describing the result as “really, really, really big three points.”
The victory saw Tijjani Reijnders and Cherki find the net for City, with Omari Hutchinson grabbing an equaliser for the hosts in between.
Arsenal could reclaim top spot later on Saturday should they overcome Brighton at home.
Pep Guardiola was animated on the toutchline as Man City beat Nottingham Forest
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Guardiola expressed considerable admiration for the challenge posed by Dyche’s outfit, acknowledging Forest’s quality throughout the contest.
“What a team Sean Dyche has made again,” he remarked. “[Forest] are an incredible team, the way that they play they do it unbelievably.”
The City manager noted that Forest came agonisingly close to Champions League qualification last term and highlighted the difficulty of visiting the City Ground during the winter months.
Five things to know about Man City boss Pep Guardiola | PA/GETTY
Guardiola revealed that tactical tweaks at the interval proved decisive in unlocking Forest’s stubborn defence.
“There were too many players behind the ball and not the pockets,” he explained. “After when we break, move inside and outside, then we create chances.”
The City boss also credited assistant Pep Lijnders for his input, saying: “We talked at half time and changed a little bit the shape.”
Reijnders echoed his manager’s assessment, noting that Forest had compressed the spaces effectively during the opening period.
“They made the spaces really tight so it was very difficult to find the free man in between the lines,” the Dutch midfielder said.
“In the second half we made some changes to the formation and we could find the free man more often.”
Rayan Cherki was the hero on Saturday as Manchester City beat Nottingham Forest | GETTY
Reijnders was also full of praise for Cherki’s vision in setting up his goal, explaining that his advanced positioning in the second half created confusion for Forest’s defenders.
“The goal was a perfect example of this. Of course Cherki knows how to find those passes and I could finish that one,” he said.
“He is very good, he finds spaces and when he gets the ball you have to be ready and in position.”
The Dutchman also proceeded to speak warmly about working under Guardiola, describing the experience as transformative despite the intensity.
“Yes he is very intense but he makes us all better players,” Reijnders added.
“For me now I’m here four or five months, you look differently at the game.”
