Manchester City boss Guardiola hails striker Sergio Aguero's recent form as Argentine ace eyes his 200th goal when Englishmen face Basel in last-16 return leg tonight
Man City boss Pep Guardiola (right) embraces striker Sergio Aguero during their Champions League tie against Basel last month. Pic/AFP
Sergio Aguero's next goal will his 200th for Manchester City, but it is the Argentine's willingness to do much more than just score that has won the confidence of his manager Pep Guardiola. "Since we were together here with Sergio, I think the last month, two months is the best Sergio I have seen," said Guardiola, preparing his team for the visit of Basel in the Champions League tonight.
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"Not just scoring goals, but he doesn't lose one ball. He makes a movement for runs in behind, he is the first guy to make a high pressing, to help that second line be more comfortable with the ball." Those words contrast sharply with a reportedly frosty relationship between the coach and his star striker during Guardiola's trophyless first season in England.
Aguero, 29, still scored 33 goals in all competitions, more than he ever had for City in a single season, but often found himself on the sidelines as Guardiola opted instead for Gabriel Jesus. "In the first year at times we didn't adapt," Aguero admitted to Spanish radio station Cadena SER. "But this year, with all we have learned from last year, I think we have learned what he wants — how to play out from the back, the movements, so it makes it much easier on the pitch."
Guardiola's team look assured of progress to the quarter-finals with the luxury of a 4-0 win against their Swiss opponents in the first leg of their last-16 tie. "If we keep going like this we have a good chance. The club has invested a lot of money to win the Champions League, so hopefully it is our year," Aguero added.
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