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#4 Attacking football vs defensive balance
Manchester City's 5-0 rout of Liverpool in the Premier League would not have come as much of a surprise to their fans - City have found a system that tends to thrive against big teams, with the Sky Blues handing out sound thrashings to the likes of Real Madrid and Tottenham Hotspur in pre-season.
John Stones' improvement this season has gone quietly unnoticed, and alongside Vincent Kompany, City have a solid core in defence, while two extremely attacking fullbacks in Mendy and Walker. This isn't the same team that leaked goals last season - City look far more dominant with the ball.
Guardiola copped plenty of criticism for his gung-ho nature in last season's exit against AS Monaco, but the Spanish manager will surely ensure that a similar scenario doesn't occur. His reliance on technical players such as Gundogan in the centre of the park ought to ensure that the Sky Blues never lose control at the heart of midfield, something Real Madrid managed with the Kroos-Modric-Casemiro trio the last couple of seasons.
