Manchester City boss turns up the heat on his champions

Pep Guardiola’s ruthless treatment of Leroy Sane has got the rest of Manchester City’s players fearing for their places. Manchester City dropped the PFA Young Player of the Year because he was concerned over his performances in training. Sane will have to stew on this during the international break. A fortnight ago the Manchester City manager claimed that Sane — who was omitted from Germany's World Cup squad — was fresh and firing. His decision to drop the forward was purposefully transparent. Sane has certainly worried some at the City Football Academy. So the 22-year-old sat and watched the victory. It is as strong a message as a manager can deliver; turn up or you are not involved. Gabriel Jesus has certainly got the memo. “I'm going to work hard to avoid that from happening to me,' said the Brazilian striker. 'We all know the quality Sane has, his importance in the club. “But it's the beginning of the season, it's normal that some players have started stronger or are more fit than others. I just hope when he comes back to the team he is at 100 per cent and he's able to help us as he's always done.” Benjamin Mendy, who again showcased everything exhilarating and everything bewildering about his talent, has felt the eye upon him. The left-back was recently fined for turning up late to training. He has also been advised that moving out of his city centre apartment and settling in Cheshire is a good idea, alleviating tantalising distractions. Mindset is almost as crucial as tactical nuances now. Manchester City are no good without focus and that is why Guardiola has constantly warned against complacency. “The last passes were not good or not clever,” he said after Kyle Walker's stunning 32-yard thunderbolt eased Newcastle aside. They are not quite clicking, not quite there yet, although they still have 10 points from four matches. “We have the same points as this time last season,” added Guardiola. “We want to be at our best level but I am so surprised at what happened last season. You never know how you're going to react when coming back in terms of consistency. “We beat Chelsea in the Community Shield and in general over the four games we were better than the four teams.”

Alexis Sanchez breaks silence after being substituted by Jose Mourinho