LEIPZIG, Germany — Disaster? What situation?

Manchester Town have misplaced consecutive video games best 5 occasions all through Pep Guardiola’s reign as supervisor and best as soon as did it change into 3 in a row.

RB Leipzig will have doubled that statistic on Wednesday within the Champions League, which got here nearest Guy Town’s back-to-back defeats to Newcastle and Wolves. As Leipzig scored simply nearest halftime, it seemed imaginable — however rather Guardiola’s staff safely navigated their maximum tough Team G away sport with a 3-1 win.

Similar to that, the whole thing is again to commonplace for Guy Town.

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The reigning Champions League winners have made a addiction of sailing throughout the staff level of this pageant, achieving no less than the knockout rounds in each and every of the final 10 years. Later choosing up six issues from two video games, they continue to be on the right track to do it once more.

Guy Town centreback Rúben Dias mentioned on Tuesday that the “only thing more beautiful than one Champions League is two,” a nod that Town are already fascinated about repeating nearest they lifted the trophy in Istanbul in June.

“I’m really satisfied,” mentioned Guardiola nearest Wednesday’s win. “It was a tough game. Three or four days ago, it was not good because we lost to Wolves. It was important to break that…

“I depend on those guys unconditionally, successful or now not successful, as a result of I do know in coaching the mentality they’ve. Expectantly we will begin in March, April, Would possibly being there akin to the competitions. I’ve a sense we can now not be a very simple opponent to overcome.”

City lost the experience of midfielder Ilkay Gündogan and winger Riyad Mahrez over the summer, and captain Kevin De Bruyne has been ruled out with a hamstring injury until the new year. But it’s meant youngsters like Phil Foden and Rico Lewis are able to take on a more central role. The pair, both graduates from City’s academy, were the best players on the pitch in the first half.

Foden, playing centrally in the absence of De Bruyne, almost set up an early goal for Bernardo Silva — back in the team after injury — with a pass that skidded across the Leipzig goal, but then he found the net himself 10 minutes later on.

Lewis, also playing high up in midfield, bounced passes off Silva, carried on running, and then crossed for Foden to bounce his finish into the net.

Lewis is still only 18, but for large periods of the first half he was running the game against one of the best teams in the Bundesliga. Foden’s ability to drift into the gaps in Leipzig’s lines and take possession in tight areas made it easier than it should have been. But it was still a night when Lewis out-shone the other young midfielder on show, 20-year-old Xavi Simons on loan at Leipzig from Paris Saint-Germain.

“He performed just right, eh?” said Guardiola, when asked about Lewis’ impact. “What a participant. What a participant — 18 years used. I’ve been a supervisor for years, coaching fantastic avid gamers, to discover a participant like him within the wallet, he is likely one of the perfect I’ve ever educated.

“I’ve spoken to the others and they like him. When you win, you gain the respect of your mates. That’s more important than the media or whatever. If your mates can rely on you, you are in heaven. That’s the most important thing.

“He has it and that’s the important thing level. They know they are able to depend on him. While you play games inside of you have got 360 levels [vision] and it’s the maximum tough place to play games. He’s a bulky skill. He merits the entire honour.”

It seemed for a past in the second one half of that, identical to within the last-16 tied right here in February, Town’s just right get started can be canceled out via a Leipzig comeback nearest half-time however even if Erling Haaland — who has now long gone 5 Champions League video games and not using a purpose — isn’t as bright as common, Guardiola nonetheless has the posh of bringing on a International Cup winner in Julián Álvarez.

In simply 11 mins at the sound nearest approaching at 1-1, the Argentinian scored a stunner, curling his end into the manage nook from a good range within the penalty segment, and next raced away to put at the 3rd purpose for Jérémy Doku in stoppage pace.

“In 10 or 15 minutes, his impact is massive,” mentioned Guardiola. “A player who is a world champion, it’s because he’s a good player. It was an outstanding goal.”

One of the most issues that makes Town so ambitious is that even if now not everyone seems to be rather at their perfect, there at all times appears to be anyone who’s.

Between the two of them, Foden, Lewis and Alvarez had been enough quantity to manufacture positive there was once by no means any real looking risk of a 3rd defeat in a row and ensured Guardiola and his avid gamers head to Arsenal on Sunday with normality restored.