PEP'S PLAYED A BLIJNDER

Hiring Klopp's No. 2 has been key to recharging Guardiola

- BY SIMON BAJKOWSKI

PEP GUARDIOLA has more energy this season. His Manchester City players have noticed it, staff have noticed it, and referees have certainly noticed it.

Tomorrow's FA Cup quarterfinal with Liverpool will be the third game of the season Guardiola has been unable to direct from the dugout, after accruing six yellow cards domestically.

And despite the manager angrily remarking he will take extra holiday if he is banned from the technical area, everybody knows the Catalan will be as passionate as usual, shouting instructions down the phone at No.2 Pep Lijnders instead.

Everyone can see Guardiola has extra fire in his belly, and there are two main theories behind this.

The first is that the great manager knows he is leaving at the end of the season and so - like his biggest nemesis Jurgen Klopp - can throw more at this year because he knows there are endless holidays waiting beyond that.