“I don’t know how” – Pep Guardiola praises specific Rico Lewis trait following latest Manchester City win

Pep Guardiola delivered praise for the “exceptional” Rico Lewis after another strong performance in Manchester City’s 4-1 win over Ipswich Town.

City started chaotically on Saturday afternoon, conceding a sloppy goal to the newly-promoted Premier League side just seven minutes in. Pep Guardiola’s team quickly bounced back, with new signing Savinho skilfully winning a penalty, converted with ease by Erling Haaland.

Manchester City then took control of the game, with further goals from Kevin de Bruyne and Haaland once again, giving them a 3-1 lead just minutes after falling behind, leaving the Premier League newcomers stunned.

Erling Haaland completed his hat-trick with another goal late in the second-half, shortly after Ilkay Gündogan made his second debut for Manchester City following his move from Barcelona earlier this week.

Once again, one of the standout performers for City was Rico Lewis, who started his third game in a row at right-back. He produced a solid display on the ball and was inches away from scoring after his fierce shot in the first half hit the crossbar.

While the Manchester City Academy graduate has many strengths in his game, manager Pep Guardiola continues to be baffled by his ability to always find space, glowing with further praise on the youngster after the latest affair.

Speaking to broadcasters after the win, the Manchester City boss lauded the performance of the 19-year-old, explaining, “In the second half, with (Ilkay) Gundogan, he knows perfectly the patterns and Rico (Lewis)… you know, he always has the ability to be alone.”

The 53-year-old tactician continued, “I don’t know how (he does it), but he is always alone, and we can always find him. He is an exceptional player.

“He is an exceptional player, offensively and defensively. He can play in different positions, he helps us to play.”

Guardiola continued by analysing the wider performance, as he said, “(The overall performance was) really good; we reacted well (to going behind), and in six minutes, we scored three goals. It’s good. A few details need to improve.”

Rico Lewis will hope to build on his impressive start to the season against West Ham next weekend. Manchester City travel to the London Stadium for their final game before the September international break.