Pep Guardiola praises Sergio Aguero after hat-trick against Huddersfield
Benjamin Mendy also lauded by Man City boss after 6-1 victory
Sunday 19 August 2018 17:04, UK
Pep Guardiola lavished praise on Sergio Aguero after he scored a hat-trick in Manchester City's 6-1 demolition of Huddersfield on Sunday.
The Argentina international hit two in the first half at the Etihad before cleverly volleying a Benjamin Mendy cross past Ben Hamer to seal the 13th treble of his City career with his final touch before being substituted in the 75th minute.
And manager Guardiola insists Aguero has never been in better form following his last-16 exit with Argentina at the World Cup in Russia.
"Since I've been here, I've never seen him like this," he told Sky Sports. "The spirit since he came back from the holidays after the World Cup... he is in incredible condition.
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"With the ball and without the ball, he is sharp and intelligent and, of course, his talent to score goals is always there.
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"The pass was so good, but the finishing is outstanding.
"I thought to take him off before the hat-trick, but it was perfect. He scored a goal, he got a standing ovation and he can take energy into the next games."
Gabriel Jesus also scored during the first half as Guardiola opted to play both of his strikers in a bid to break down Huddersfield's deep-lying defence.
And the City boss felt the tactics worked, also praising the influence of Mendy coming forward on the left wing.
He added: "I don't know what's going to happen in the future, but we decided today to play with two strikers in Sergio and Gabriel and they connected really well.
"In general, all of the players made a good performance. Last season, we could not attack in that way because we did not have Mendy and he has energy to go up and down and he is so clever in the final third with crosses and passes.
"We could not attack in that way last season, but this season we have him and when he is able to play we can attack in that way."
