Rodri on course to win the one Man City award Pep Guardiola loves

Pep Guardiola has been talking about team spirit again this week.

"Always, I think this is a team," the Catalan said. "I'm not alone at Man City. Backroom staff, sporting director, everyone. I love that. Team, team, team. When I see players whose first thought is the team, I like to work with these. Don't ask me why, I like it."

Signing selfless players has been a key part of the success that Guardiola, Txiki Begiristain and their colleagues have had at the Etihad, making sure that everyone is 100 per cent committed to giving everything for the team rather than thinking of themselves. It is why the manager expects contributions from everyone whether they are in the starting XI, left out of the side, or trying to secure a move elsewhere.

Also read: 'It was so surprising' - Tuchel makes Bayern admission ahead of City tie

It is also a big reason why the manager dislikes individual awards so much - if one person is getting the glory, it is very likely that others have done plenty of hard work to put them in that position. Guardiola ensures his players and staff are credited whenever he wins a managerial award, and will often disagree with the common consensus for player awards.

Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk and City forward Raheem Sterling took home two of the biggest individual prizes in the 2018/19 season - PFA Player of the Year and FWA Footballer of the Year, respectively - yet anyone who watched the Blues that year would come away knowing that Bernardo Silva had a bigger influence than anyone else. The player himself may think that as well, having previously shown his frustration at not being more widely recognised for his efforts.

Guardiola certainly noticed and was happy to put on record his opinion that