‘The sun. I’m not joking’: City improve in good weather, claims Pep Guardiola

London – Pep Guardiola has offered an unusual explanation for Manchester City’s traditional spring surge: sunshine. Speaking after his side’s 3-0 dismantling of Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, the City manager said clear skies over Manchester have coincided with a noticeable lift in both mood and performance.

City were listless for 45 minutes on Saturday, but a half-time demand for greater intensity transformed the contest. Nico O’Reilly broke the deadlock early in the second period before Marc Guéhi’s own goal and Jérémy Doku’s strike sealed a victory that trimmed Arsenal’s lead at the Premier League summit to six points, with City still holding a game in hand.

Asked why his teams habitually peak as the season reaches its climax, Guardiola replied: “The sun. I’m not joking. The sun. In Manchester there is never the sun. If the sun arrived in November, we would be champions in January. Honestly, the mood is better. The mentality of the group.”

The Catalan praised the attitude that surfaced after the interval. “At this stage of the season the players have to make a step up,” he said. “The second half was extraordinary because we had the mindset. In that stage it isn’t the tactics.”

City now turn their attention to a potential title-decider against Arsenal on Sunday. Guardiola warned that overhauling Mikel Arteta’s side will be a different proposition to last month’s Carabao Cup final triumph. “Is there one person in this room who bet for us in the Carabao Cup final? £1? Not even one bet for us. We were underdogs and that was perfect. Now it’s different. We have to respect Arsenal.”

Chelsea, meanwhile, were left to rue another second-half collapse. Head coach Liam Rosenior admitted his side lacked resilience after conceding twice in quick succession. “It’s happened too many times where City started the second half better than us,” he said. “That can happen against a good team, but what you can’t do is concede two goals so quickly, one after the other.”

Rosenior also acknowledged the absence of suspended midfielder Enzo Fernández, who will return against Manchester United on Saturday, as Chelsea cling to fading hopes of a top-five finish.