Christmas and the first month of the New Year were not, by Pep Guardiola’s exacting standards, a particularly merry period for Manchester City. True, there was the hard-fought win over direct rivals Liverpool on January 3, but a total of three losses in seven league games – to Crystal Palace, Leicester and Newcastle – had allowed the Reds to take control of the title race. Eyebrows were firmly raised among those who believed City would retain their title with the swaggering style they showed in 2017-18. If Guardiola sides do blips, then this was one of them. February came and, against top-four chasing Arsenal, they needed a result and confidence-boosting performance to put the mid-winter jitters behind them - to get Manchester’s baby blue juggernaut pointing back in the right direction. City delivered, swatting the visitors aside and running out 3-1 winners. “We didn’t recognise ourselves in the last game against Newcastle,” Pep said post-match, “but today we came back.” Another win against Everton followed, then the 6-0 demolition of Chelsea and suddenly they were back on top, albeit having played one game more than the Merseysiders. Sergio Aguero’s three goals grabbed the headlines in the tide-turning game against the Gunners – another Premier League hat-trick; three classic, low-cross-across-the-six-yard-box, Pep Guardiola training ground specials; Aguero’s 38th, 39th and 40th goals against England’s big six. But it was where the crucial second goal originated that really showed the foundation on which this Guardiola team is built. Let’s work backwards from the Aguero finish. The assist came from Raheem Sterling, a perfectly-weighted, first-time, left-footed cross after a delightful, dinked one-two with Ilkay Gundogan. But the pass that really made the move, initially finding Sterling in acres on the left, had come from the feet of Fernandinho. And even before that switch of play, it was the Brazilian who had dragooned the team forwards, gliding out from defence with the ball at his feet.