“Extraordinary” – Pep Guardiola hails Manchester City duo after crucial Brentford win

Five Things Learned: Manchester City 3-0 Brentford (Premier League)

Speaking in his post-match press conference, Guardiola offered a personal and specific assessment of the pair, touching on Doku’s spiritual growth and Reijnders’ technical and physical contribution.

Guardiola: Doku’s soul is so calm now

Guardiola’s words on Doku went well beyond the purely footballing, reflecting a manager who pays close attention to the personal wellbeing of his players as much as their performances on the pitch.

“He’s an incredible professional and I think his soul now is so calm, with his own life, he became so religious – and that helps as well,” Guardiola said.

“Everybody knows that he’s made an incredible step in the sense of saying, ‘I AM JEREMY DOKU, I AM GOING TO WIN GAMES!’. And the big players, the greatest players always have that mentality.”

Guardiola’s observation that Doku’s inner calm has translated directly into his football this season is a perceptive one – and one that the Manchester City manager himself alluded to earlier in the week when describing the winger as “amazing” and someone who has made a decisive step up in terms of end product and winning mentality.

Reijnders is extraordinary with his runs into the box: Pep

Turning his attention to Reijnders, Guardiola was equally effusive as he highlighted the specific qualities that made the Dutch midfielder such a threat against Brentford on Saturday.

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“I wanted players in the box, I want runners and Tijjani is extraordinary with that,” he said. “To the box and he had two or three shots, intensity – and he played it really good in the second balls.”

The assessment goes to the heart of what Reijnders brings to City’s midfield. His ability to arrive late into the penalty area, a quality honed in the Serie A, gives Guardiola’s side an additional goal threat from deep that had been missing at various points of the season.

Combined with his work rate in transition and his composure on the second ball, Saturday’s performance was a reminder of why Reijnders was a priority signing for City director of football Hugo Viana.

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What does the win mean for City’s title charge?

City’s victory over Brentford has cut Arsenal‘s lead to two points and mounted pressure on the Gunners ahead of their away game against West Ham on Sunday.

Guardiola memorably signed off in his press conference with a passionate plea of “Come on you Irons!” as the Blues hope for a favour from the Hammers. The title race, against all expectation a month ago, is alive.