Guardiola insists 'I'm not here to entertain' after Manchester City obliterate Stoke

Joe Wright

Guardiola insists 'I'm not here to entertain' after Manchester City obliterate Stoke image

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola claimed he is "not here to entertain" after his side destroyed Stoke City 7-2 on Saturday.

Two goals from Gabriel Jesus and one each for Raheem Sterling, David Silva, Fernandinho, Leroy Sane and Bernardo Silva saw City move two points clear of Manchester United at the top of the Premier League.

Everton 11/2 to beat Brighton 1-0

The win also saw City become the first team to score 29 goals in their first eight top-flight matches of a season since Everton back in 1894-95, and prolonged their unbeaten run to 16 games in all competitions.

But Guardiola insists it was the result that mattered, even though he accepted it was probably the club's best performance since he took charge last year.

"I am here to win, I am not here to entertain," he said.

"This is the way we want to play. Our confidence is high. Everybody believes we are going to win.

"We know each other more, I know my players more, the league more and the other teams more.

"We can always do better but I cannot deny that today was the best performance since I arrived here."

Kevin De Bruyne marked his 100th appearance for City with a scintillating display, in which he claimed two assists and played a key role in two further goals.

Guardiola says the Belgium international is "by far" one of the leading players in the world.

"He is a guy that is so dynamic and can control the game," he said. "He is a big talent and made a good performance. He is one of the best, by far."

Joe Wright

Joe Wright Photo

Joe is a Senior Editor at Sporting News. He was previously a sub editor and writer for Goal.com before spending six years as part of the Stats Perform editorial news service, covering major global sports including football, tennis, boxing, NBA, rugby union and athletics. Joe has reported live on some of the biggest games in football, including two UEFA Champions League finals, Euro 2016, the Confederations Cup 2017 and the 2018 World Cup final at the end of a month in Russia.