Something seemed to click for Manchester City at Bournemouth, jolting them into action and crystallising Pep Guardiola’s thinking. It may have been the end of March, but better late than never.
There are theories about exactly what happened on the south coast, when City battled back from a goal down - despite playing averagely - to book a spot in Sunday’s FA Cup semi-final. Guardiola has said he saw the spirit return. It was the day that Nico O’Reilly announced himself as a left back extraordinaire.
Those aspects are huge in City’s resurgence - five wins from six matches - but Guardiola’s tactical tweaks have also restored the vaunted control for which his City teams have always been renowned.