Pep Guardiola pays tribute to Manchester City players’ mentality

Pep Guardiola has paid tribute to his Manchester City players’ mentality and said they respond to him now as well as they ever did.

The 53-year-old’s contract expires at the end of this season and neither he nor the club have given any indication as to whether he will renew it.

Guardiola, who has extended the three-year deal he signed when first arriving in 2016 on three occasions, said in the summer he would wait until this season had started to see “how connected” he was with his players.

When this was put to him before Saturday’s home Premier League game against Southampton, Guardiola said: “I’m happy, a lot.

“I’m impressed. I never thought when I arrived here (in 2016), a ninth season and still we have this amount of consistency in our game.

“We’re still creating more than the opponent and concede less than the opponent, so this balance is so good.

“I could not be more thankful to these players for what we are trying to do and the way we are doing it.

“I never had doubt about that. I said a month ago, I see them in training sessions every day and still they are alive, they feel it.

“They enjoy to come here, train and play the games. Everyone wants to be involved.

“A few teams as well, not just here in England, but in Europe, are having a lot of injuries, everywhere.

“We are just 15 players or 14 players, plus Rico (Lewis) from the academy and OK, we are in difficulty, we have a lack of players to rotate, to give rest, so we have to take care more – and still they do it.”

Guardiola’s future will also be decided by other factors. He has said he will consider his wife and family, while the departure of City’s director of football Txiki Begiristain at the end of this season could also sway his decision.

But Guardiola allayed any fears that his relationship with his players was in danger of growing tired.

“They have an incredible mentality,” he added. “Most of them are so strong, so competitive.

“There’s a tendency to relax, I always have this concern when we win again. What is going to happen? A drop after you win. But I don’t see it.

“I don’t see it winning or losing, performing well or bad. I don’t see this factor of dropping.

“Everyone pushes each other. They push me and push my staff with ideas, with new things. If I don’t like it, they accept it well because it’s for the team.

“They accept well the compliments and the compliments from the media and the criticism from the media.

“They forget immediately, win or lose. They’re on to the next, what’s next? They’re true competitors.

“We have a group of players with a great mentality, I’m not talking about the skills, mentality. They are really, really good.”

City, chasing a record-extending fifth straight Premier League title under Guardiola, are the only unbeaten side after eight matches and sit a point behind Liverpool in second place.

Guardiola’s side will go top with victory against winless Southampton at the Etihad Stadium and will remain there if Liverpool drop points at Arsenal on Sunday.