Pep Guardiola will be 'upset' if his Manchester City side win not playing their free-flowing football, insists former Arsenal striker Thierry Henry

  • Manchester City have picked up 40 points from their opening 14 league games
  • City claimed late wins vs Huddersfield and Southampton in last two matches
  • Pep Guardiola's men take on West Ham at the Etihad on Sunday afternoon 

Thierry Henry claims Pep Guardiola will be left 'upset' if Manchester City win football matches not playing their free-flowing game.

Guardiola's City side currently sit five points clear at the top of the Premier League ahead of neighbours Manchester United with a match in hand.

The Etihad outfit have maintained their strong advantage in the English top flight after Raheem Sterling netted late winners against both Huddersfield and Southampton.

Thierry Henry says Pep Guardiola demands that his side's play free-flowing football at all times

Thierry Henry says Pep Guardiola demands that his side's play free-flowing football at all times

And speaking ahead of City's match against West Ham, Thierry Henry, who played under Guardiola at Barcelona between 2008-2010, told Sky Sports that the Spanish boss demands his side's play their silky football at all times.


When asked whether City have changed their style late on in matches when they have been chasing three points, Henry replied: 'No and he wouldn't allow that. That will actually upset him if they do it any other way.

'You see them against Huddersfield, passing the ball and maybe thinking at one point, "come on you need to cross it", but they still pass the ball, obviously they got a bit lucky with it, they got the rebound but they did it their way. 

Guardiola's Manchester City side have picked up 40 points from their first 14 league matches

Guardiola's Manchester City side have picked up 40 points from their first 14 league matches

'And even more so here (against Southampton), 90, 90 plus two, you can put it in the box but that's not how they do it. Kevin De Bruyne gets the ball, gives it to Otamendi, he passes it to the side to Silva, who gives it to Sterling. 

'Now Sterling can cross and no one would have complained. Maybe now De Bruyne can shoot and lose his composure but here, this is when you have to shoot. What I like also is the crowd were not being upset about it. 

'Sometimes the crowd, when the ball is on the side, when the ball goes to Sterling and the crowd goes like "put it in" and you hear "come on", but they all know the situation here and they stuck to it and they scored a goal.'

Raheem Sterling has netted late winners for City against Huddersfield and Southampton

Raheem Sterling has netted late winners for City against Huddersfield and Southampton

Guardiola's side have made an extraordinary start to the league season, amassing 40 points from their opening 14 matches, scoring 44 goals and conceding just nine in the process.

And Arsenal legend Henry claims that Guardiola is just as focused on how his team defend than how they attack. 

The 40-year-old added: 'The amount of pressure that Pep was asking or was putting on the players to put pressure on was second to none. People always focus on how his team are playing good football.

'He is also so demanding on not conceding goals and you don't associate that with Guardiola.'

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