Guardiola's nerves: 'I suffered from minute one'

Manchester City have come to embody clinical success, but emotion was everywhere during crucial win at Spurs 

- David Hytner

Kyle Walker revealed he did not sleep the night before and was left "scrambling" for a half-hour power nap on game-day, while Pep Guardiola said he had "suffered" throughout. This was only a snapshot of the emotions felt by Manchester City players and management leading up to and during their pivotal match at Tottenham on Tuesday night.

It is easy to see City as a machine; the eviscerating runs to Premier League title after title; No 6 under Guardiola and an unprecedented fourth-in-a-row now close after the 2-0 victory over Spurs. City have made a cold-hearted business out of the accumulation of silverware.

The human cost is not always apparent. It has all been too clinical, particularly when the 115 charges for financial irregularities the club face are factored in. City deny wrongdoing. They have certainly been romance killers, but to listen to Walker and Guardiola after the Spurs game was to appreciate the sacrifices, the nervous energy and, yes, the self-doubt.

It was there and it will doubtless be a part of things when City attempt to secure the title against West Ham at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday. They kick off two points clear of second-place Arsenal, whose final game is at home to Everton. Arsenal have a +1 goal difference advantage, meaning a draw for City may not be enough.