The most successful managers have spoken at length about the difficulty in maintaining the hunger of a team that has won it all. All sporting empires eventually fall and a common theme is that they suffer from complacency and their old fire burns out; but not this Manchester City team.
The Cityzens had every right to be jaded so soon after their penalty shootout win over Sevilla in the UEFA Super Cup, but Pep Guardiola's side overcame the adversity against Newcastle. Julian Alvarez's stunning strike secured a 1-0 win, setting a new club record of 17 consecutive home victories.
After returning to Manchester from Athens on Thursday, Guardiola claimed his side had no time to train and properly prepare for this fixture against a fellow top-four finisher in the 2022/23 campaign. The Catalan was only able to make two changes to his starting XI and was without key players John Stones and Kevin De Bruyne, but his side produced another exceptional performance and fully deserved the three points.
GOAL breaks down the winners and losers from the Etihad Stadium...