Michael Dawson says Pep Guardiola has just given every Man City player exactly what they need

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Manchester City have waded through a tough spell of form and results over the past month prior to the November international break.

City’s four previous matches prior to the final international break of 2024 saw the Manchester club lose all four, which is something that a Pep Guardiola side had never done before.

After losing 4-1 to Sporting CP, Bernardo Silva said City were in a “dark place” which only looked darker once they lost to Brighton & Hove Albion in their most recent match.

This defeat then saw Guardiola admit City needed the break, which has now been and gone with domestic football set to return this weekend.

Before that, a pundit has shared his reaction to a big piece of news that has recently emerged from the Etihad Stadium concerning one of the Manchester club’s key figures.

• Is Pep Guardiola leaving Man City? Possible replacements, contract and all you need to know

Michael Dawson reacts to Pep Guardiola contract claim

On Tuesday night, it was reported by The Athletic that Guardiola has agreed a one-year contract extension with an option for an extra year.

Speaking on the Sky Sports News TV channel, Michael Dawson gave this reaction to this big claim.

He said: “I was one of those thinking it could be his last year. But I think this is great for Manchester City, but not so great for every other football manager out there, every other team.

“I think this will just give the players a lift. Clarity is what every player needs. And if Pep wanted to stay, he was always going to stay.

“It was just a question, did he still have that hunger, did he have that drive, could he carry on getting the best out of these players? It needed to be cleared up and it certainly looks like it has been now.

“I think it’s good work from the hierarchy at Manchester City. I think they needed something because performances have been well below what we expect from a Manchester City team.

“To lose four on the bounce, albeit in different competitions, but this is something that we’ve never seen from Manchester City and Pep’s never been in this situation. You can never write Manchester City off.

“I think they needed some positivity, they needed it clarifying and that has been done. We’re still only 11 games into the Premier League season. Let’s not get carried away.

“They’ve had an enormous amount of injuries to key players and now they’ve got to get their heads down and get back to winning ways against Spurs.” 

Jermaine Pennant claimed Guardiola’s future would have been on the players’ minds

Back in October, Guardiola admitted he hadn’t decided his future, with his contract set to expire in the summer.

Following that Jermaine Pennant claimed the uncertainty around Guardiola’s future may have impacted the City players mentally and ultimately played a subconscious role in their recent poor run of form.

Now that Dawson has claimed that Guardiola’s apparent decision to extend his contract at City will give his players a big boost, this will hopefully be seen in their performances, which will hopefully lead to positive results.

As Dawson also mentioned, the best way for the Premier League champions to get their season back on track is by securing a victory against Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday – which would also give the Blues the chance to get revenge on Ange Postecoglou’s side as they were the ones who kicked off City’s quartet of defeats.