VID NASTY FUELS PEP

City boss back on track after Villa horror show

- BY TYRONE MARSHALL

PEP GUARDIOLA put himself through a horror show on Thursday when he rewatched Manchester City's 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa last December.

It was the nightmare before Christmas for the Blues, extending a dismal run that derailed their season.

But as they prepare to head back down the M6, things look a lot brighter.

City are nine games unbeaten, well placed to progress in the Champions League and back in the Premier League title race, but the foundations for their renewed optimism were laid in the second half of last season.

Guardiola did not recognise the team he watched succumb at Villa Park, but this version is beginning to remind him of the most successful sides he has built during a trophy-laden decade at the Etihad.