Man City manager, player scoop Premier League awards for January

Manchester City have been rewarded for a perfect run as manager Pep Guardiola and midfielder Ilkay Gundogan picked up the Premier League’s monthly awards for January.

Gundogan scored five goals as City won all six of their Premier League matches in January to go top of the table, earning him the Player of the Month prize.

And Guardiola won his eighth Manager of the Month award, and his first since April 2019.

Gundogan started every one of his side’s league matches last month, and believes that his side’s form has left them believing they are strong enough to beat every side they face.

‘The highlight of January was all month because we won all of our games,’ he told the club’s official website.

‘I think it was the run and the feeling that I had inside of myself that you are so strong as a team at the moment and not just yourself. That is just an amazing feeling.

‘I had that feeling a few times in the season where we had 100 points or the season after when we won the league one point ahead of Liverpool or when I played for Dortmund.

‘You have that feeling sometimes when you feel so strong and unbeatable and that was the best moment that I had throughout the month.’

When Manchester City beat Newcastle on Boxing Day, they went up to fifth in the Premier League table and still trailed league leaders Liverpool by five points.

However, a remarkable January, in which they won all nine of their matches across all competitions – the most any team in the top four tiers of English football has won in a single month since the Football League was formed in 1888 – ensured that by the end of the month they were clear at the top of the table.

City have since extended that run to 15 wins in a row in all competitions, an English domestic record.

And Guardiola hailed his team for their consistency on the pitch despite all the uncertainty off it.

‘What this team achieved in January – winning all our games, despite all the restrictions we face – is remarkable,” he said.

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“This just shows how focused my players and staff are. They are incredible, and I am so proud to work alongside them.

“Every single person involved deserves huge credit.”