Kevin De Bruyne and Riyad Mahrez help Manchester City breeze past Brentford

Manchester City seem intent on making their title defence a procession. Their lead is now 12 points and though Liverpool can cut it back to nine by beating Leicester on Thursday, Pep Guardiola’s team have a relentlessness that may soon propel them far into the distance.

Guardiola often speaks of the significance of how his side “arrive” in February, when the business phase of the campaign begins. On this evidence City are hitting their best rhythms with the spring months beckoning, precisely as he wishes.

Riyad Mahrez and Kevin De Bruyne were the scorers there, but it was another impressive all-round effort that will enthuse Guardiola, the master team-builder. This is City’s supreme strength: no single player is ever relied upon, as is underlined by the lack of a traditional No 9 being made a non-issue by Mahrez, Bernardo Silva and Raheem Sterling all contributing seven league goals. De Bruyne is next highest with six.

Guardiola’s style is to talk up every opponent in quasi-awed terms, as if his team of A-list talents may struggle against them. This is often the precursor to them going out and giving them a schooling. So it was for their visitors on Wednesday night. At their best Brentford combine muscularity with neat movement in possession, but they were put in the role that so many before them have played in this stadium: unwilling ball-chasers pushed back to near their own area by City’s yo-yo-like ball retention.

John Stones, stepping forward from right-back, prompted one move that involved Rodri, Sterling, and Riyad Mahrez before a corner was claimed. Next, though, João Cancelo had Guardiola rubbing his face – the Catalan’s “tell” that something is awry – after the left-back’s clumsy touch allowed Mads Roerslev to