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Richard Heathcote

Guardiola ready to 'kill' Man City stars if they get complacent

The manager has no interest in seeing his side give up an eight-point lead at the top of the Premier League.

MANCHESTER CITY MANAGER Pep Guardiola warned his players he would “kill” anyone who got complacent after their flying start to the season.

City continued their Premier League dominance with a 2-0 win at Leicester City, with Gabriel Jesus scoring the opener a minute before half-time and Kevin De Bruyne doubling the advantage early in the second half.

Guardiola’s men have won 11 of 12 league games, scoring 40 goals and conceding just seven, to build an eight-point lead at the top over Manchester United.

The Spaniard said there was no chance of his team becoming complacent despite their stunning form.

“That is not going to happen because I am their manager,” Guardiola said.

“The team, that is not going to happen. I’ll kill them. Complacency doesn’t happen in my teams.

“They can play bad, teams are going to beat us, that happens.

“But if you see the team, they have the desire to have the ball and play. We are not a team that speculates about absolutely anything. That’s not going to happen.”

City host Feyenoord in the Champions League on Tuesday, having already sealed a spot in the last 16, before returning to league play with a trip to Huddersfield Town on Sunday.

This marks the beginning of a busy stretch for the league leaders, during which they are set to play 14 matches in 46 days.

Although the fixture congestion is complicated by the loss of centre-back John Stones, who could be sidelined for six weeks with a hamstring injury, Guardiola has remained optimistic.

“We are feeling confident in the way we are playing,” Guardiola told Match of the Day after the win over Leicester. “It is a busy schedule but we are doing really well.”

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