Raheem Sterling continued his resurgence on international duty with England. The City winger was the key man for England as they ran Ivory Coast ragged in an international friendly at Wembley.
But it wasn’t only Sterling who shone brightly on the night as both Jack Grealish and Phil Foden also rose to the occasion to show just why they have become key players for the Three Lions.
A goal and an assist for Sterling while both Grealish and Foden grabbed an assist each secured a comfortable 3-0 victory over the West Africans. The visitors played a man light for a better part of the game as Serge Aurier was dismissed in the 40th minute for an offence.
But that takes nothing away from the City trio who were at the heart of everything good for England.
At a time when City are struggling to find the back of the net, this comes as a welcome development. Goals and assists are always needed by forward players to get them in the mood for more. Performing in the national team puts them in the right frame of mind to complete the job at the Etihad Stadium.
These three players will be key for City in the coming months as the team gears up for a very tough period.
The blues face difficult matches against Atletico Madrid and Liverpool in three different competitions. These are games that will not only define the remaining part of the season but also shape the campaign as a whole.
Having played such an important role for England, the players will be expected to replicate the same form for City. That will be very important in the Champions League to get past a stubborn Atletico Madrid side coached by the fiery Diego Simeone.
Yet, facing the Spanish side looks like the lesser of two evils as Guardiola has likened facing Liverpool with “paying a visit to the dentist.”
The Reds smell blood as they pile on the pressure on the Cityzens. Jurgen Klopp and his men are taking full advantage of every slip-up from Man City of late.
That has put City in a position where there is little or no room for error. Pep Guardiola will need to get his players firing on all cylinders, and the international break seems to have helped with that by putting them in the right frame of mind.
Apart from Riyad Mahrez, who suffered a huge disappointment as Algeria failed to qualify for the World Cup, several other City players had a fruitful international break.
Others who were not called up took out time to recharge their batteries and are now raring to go. The team will regroup this weekend to face Burnley having enjoyed a much-needed break.
If the performance from the likes of Sterling, Grealish and Foden is anything to go by, the boys are ready to get the job done.
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