Manchester City 2-1 Burnley: Three things we learnt

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Manchester City bounced back from Saturday night’s defeat to Liverpool with a 2-1 victory over Burnley – but it was not without incident or controversy. City were forced to play the last hour with 10 men after Fernandinho was shown a straight red card for two-footed challenge on Johan Gudmundsson. Remarkably, it was the Brazilian’s third red card in his past six appearances, which automatically triggered a four-game suspension. Second-half goals from Gael Clichy and substitute Sergio Aguero looked to have guaranteed the three points for City, but Ben Mee made the home side sweat when he netted 20 minutes from time. The visitors couldn’t find an equaliser however, as Pep Guardiola’s men climbed to third in the Premier League. Here are three things we learnt from Manchester City’s timely triumph…

Guardiola is already showing signs of strain

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If his awkward post-match interviews with both the BBC and Sky were anything to go by, Guardiola is already feeling under pressure. City’s season started in barnstorming fashion with six consecutive victories, but since then their form has soured and results have become very inconsistent. Guardiola, usually so phlegmatic in front of the cameras, has started to look weary and uncomfortable with repeated questions about his tactics. After the win over Burnley, the Spaniard was unwilling to answer questions on Fernandinho’s sending off. To those which he did offer a response, he was curt and dismissive in a manner seldom seen. This season is undoubtedly Guardiola’s biggest test in management. He has experienced only success in his career with Barcelona and Bayern Munich, but has the most revered manager in world football seriously underestimated the unique challenges of the Premier League?