Pep Guardiola confident history won't repeat itself at Manchester City

The Premier League leaders must play nine games, in the league, League Cup and Champions League during a hectic December

Pep Guardiola is confident history won't repeat itself this December (AFP)

Pep Guardiola will approach a gruelling December fixture list next week confident that last season’s mid-winter collapse that unhinged his debut season with Manchester City will not be repeated.

City end November with a trip to Huddersfield on Sunday and home meeting with Southampton on Wednesday in which they will be seeking to continue an incredible, seven-month, 28-game unbeaten run.

But the Premier League leaders will then start the month of December in which they must play nine games, in the league, League Cup and Champions League.

That gruelling schedule is two more games than Guardiola was required to play in 2016 when City won three and lost three games, seriously damaging their chances of competing for last season’s league title.

But despite the burden of an additional two games, and the pressure of leading the league table, Guardiola has no worries of history repeating itself.

“When you compare to last season, our problem was actually before December,” said the City manager. “After the second international break we had four Premier League games, three at home, and we weren’t able to win once - Southampton, Middlesbrough, Everton - we weren’t able to win.

“This season (at the same time) we had three games at home and were able to win them all. What happened last season, in November and December, was a consequence of what had happened earlier.

“I’m not thinking about it but I know our schedule is full, like all the teams, there are a lot of games for everybody.”

City’s impressive strength in depth is another reason that Guardiola can approach mid-winter with far more optimism than last term when, for the first time in his managerial career, he went through a campaign without winning a trophy.

City head into Sunday's game on the back of a 17-match winning run (AFP)

And his experience of coaching teams competing for honours on multiple fronts could be another key factor.

“The best advice I can say to the players from my experience is just to think about the next game,” he said. “Then we will see how the players have recovered, who is injured, not injured and take decisions game by game. And if we don’t win, now I want to see how we react and keep going.

“If you think ‘nine games is a lot,’ it’s better not to think about it or compare what happened last season. Last season is last season and sport is always in the present, the next one. The past is the past.”

Guardiola did concede, however, that his team has improved considerably compared to 12 months ago with Ederson proving an impressive addition in goal and Kyle Walker adding much-needed speed in the right-back position.

But the City manager also believes the experience of veteran City players has proved crucial.

“We have played most of the time with just two new players - Ederson and Kyle,” said Guardiola. “Most of the players were here last season all together but it’s a question of time. There is more energy, more energy from Kyle, but it takes time and now we know each other better.

Guardiola is confident his side can work through a difficult period of games (Getty)

“We have many here - Vincent (Kompany), David (Silva), Sergio (Aguero), Fernandinho - they won one or two Premier Leagues. Maybe they can help us understand how important it is to win the Premier League for the other guys, how they need to improve to win the Premier League, the desire to win it.

“We are closer but we are still far away, we are just in November, and the desire to win counts a lot to achieve something."