Kevin De Bruyne and Ilkay Gundogan are bossing it for Pep Guardiola

If Manchester City are to hold off the unrelenting challenge from Liverpool then they need to win the battle of the intangibles. The character war. The ability to respond to whatever their rivals do.

What Pep Guardiola needs are some Pep Guardiolas on the pitch. The men who manage matches in a way that their boss might envisage, requiring no touchline instruction. Basically, players who can take the emotion out of the final eight games. It might be handy when Jurgen Klopp turns up next weekend.

The two goalscorers at Burnley — Kevin De Bruyne and Ilkay Gundogan — are exactly that: the embodiment of their manager, and perhaps it is no coincidence that the pair are also doing their coaching badges. They are players who can navigate such a tense run-in with a manager's eye, possessing a deeper appreciation of how to steer fortunes their side's way.

It is a huge benefit for Guardiola, someone who once said that he 'would like a thousand midfielders in my squad because I believe they are intelligent and understand the game'. Both Gundogan and De Bruyne are masters of slowing games down when City lead, as was the case at Turf Moor.

Midfield is the most important area of Guardiola's pitch. City's complete control of matches stems from the middle third and it is vital that players fully grasp the team shape and how that can change over 90 potentially stressful minutes.

Gundogan is expected to attain his UEFA B licence by the summer, taking online lessons and seminars whenever he links up with Germany. De Bruyne is undergoing A and B licences with international colleagues. Former captain Vincent Kompany has been through it all and is in charge of Anderlecht. 

They have become involved in City's academy schedule this season and