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.