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Premier League: Gabriel Jesus makes Man City look like a Pep Guardiola side

At some point buzzword crosses into cliche. That’s certainly the case with Pep Guardiola’s ‘philosophy’ and all that comes with the Catalan as a football coach. However, it’s been difficult to see any sign of ideology during his time as Manchester City boss so far. Until the final eight minutes of Saturday’s game against Spurs, that is.

In that short time, in which the hosts were held to a 2-2 draw having been two goals to the good with just over half an hour to play, City showed for the first time their development under Guardiola. All of a sudden things clicked into place. They had an identity. They looked like a Guardiola team. They were, excuse the cliche, philosophers.

GettyImages-632306034
GettyImages-632306034

The introduction of new £27 million signing Gabriel Jesus from the bench was the catalyst. The Brazilian might not have made a difference in terms of the scoreline, having what he thought to be the winner chalked off for offside, but he could be the spark Manchester City so desperately need. Their timeline under Guardiola might one day be classified as pre-Jesus, post-Jesus.

Finishing Saturday’s match against Tottenham Hotspur with an interchangeable frontline of Jesus, Kevin De Bruyne, Leroy Sane and Sergio Aguero, City evoked the spirit of Guardiola’s great Barcelona and Bayern Munich teams. They might not have a Lionel Messi, but with such an attacking frontline City borrowed much of the same framework.

Of course, Jesus is still a raw talent but on the 15 minutes he was on show at the Etihad, there was enough to suggest he could become a vital member of the Guardiola jigsaw in the future. He is, after all, still a teenager with less than 50 senior appearances to his name. Man City cannot count on him to carry them, and Guardiola would seem to be aware of this, as well as the pressure that will be heaped on the Brazilian after his sparkling cameo at the weekend.

“He has his talent, but that alone cannot [save Man City’s season]. So we have to involve [him] a lot,” Guardiola said after the draw with Spurs on Saturday. “If it was one day, today, I would tell you. But it was all the season. We have to score goals and we are not able to do that. We try to create, we create, but we don’t score goals and when that happens, it’s impossible to win the games. It’s impossible.”

Nonetheless, even Guardiola must be excited over the impact Jesus could have on his team. Some have drawn comparisons between the Brazilian’s debut on Sunday and Aguero’s debut in August 2011, when the then new £30 million signing from Atletico Madrid scored twice and set up another to give City’s fans the sense that they were watching the dawning of a new era. Jesus might not have found the net, at least legitimately, but those at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday got a similar feeling.

Guardiola has been looking for a player to reflect his own identity ever since making the move to England in the summer. Ilkay Gundogan was close to becoming that player before he suffered a season-ending injury. At times, Kevin De Bruyne has been an ideological catalyst for the Catalan, but the arrival of Jesus might go down as a landmark for Man City in the Guardiola age.

Tactically, he gives City the kind of adaptability that Guardiola looks for across the frontline. Raheem Sterling has responded well to the new manager, but he doesn’t offer that in the same way Jesus does. It’s for this reason that the Brazilian will surely become a linchpin at the Etihad Stadium from now on.

Guardiola still has plenty to address in midfield and defence if his Man City are to become the force they aspire to being on a domestic and continental front, but pieces are finally starting to fall into place higher up the pitch. That at least gives Guardiola a platform to build on.

It might turn out to be the case that Jesus plays a bit part role until the end of the season as he acclimatises to his new surroundings, but Sunday offered a glimpse of what might follow in the longer-term. If Jesus can make such an impression after just eight minutes imagine what he could do with a full game.