Pep Guardiola: Manchester City 'Back to Their Best' After Ipswich Rout

Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola says his team is 'back' after a 6-0 thrashing of Ipswich Town, which moved them into the Premier League top four and boosted their Champions League qualification hopes.

Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola was beaming with pride after his side's 6-0 demolition of Ipswich Town on Sunday, which propelled them into the Premier League top four. Guardiola believed that City had rediscovered their form, which had been missing for the past two months. “We are really pleased, we are back to doing things that define this team for the last 10 years. Really pleased for the three points and to climb into qualification for the Champions League for next season,” he told Sky Sports.

City's dominant performance was characterized by Phil Foden's two goals and one assist, as well as Erling Haaland's contribution to the scoresheet. Guardiola was impressed with how his team played, particularly their consistency and connection on the pitch. “Much better, maybe not our best, but closer with the consistency we have in our game, everyone with the ball was clever, quicker, faster, everyone is related. You cannot be quick, wise and good if you are not connected defensively,” he said.

The heavy defeat served as a valuable lesson for Ipswich Town, who remain in 18th place in the table with 16 points. Defender Dara O'Shea acknowledged that his team failed to execute their game plan and gave credit to Manchester City's quality. “We didn't execute our game plan how we wanted to. You can never write them off. It was always going to be tough, and we wanted to give a good account of ourselves - we probably didn’t do that,” he said. O'Shea emphasized the importance of learning from their mistakes and regrouping for their next challenge. “We need to regroup, look back on our mistakes and go again. The main thing is to learn from it, and we cannot get too down on it. There is massive belief in this group and the club.”