LONDON -- If Pep Guardiola's mood can be measured by the time he spends in the technical area, his absence from the touchline for the majority of the second half of Manchester City's 5-0 FA Cup rout of West Ham United suggested his demeanour had flicked from darkness to light courtesy of his team's emphatic victory at the London Stadium.
Four days earlier, the Spaniard had delivered his first genuine post-match rant as City manager with a bizarre, even petulant, reaction to his team's 10-man victory over Burnley at the Etihad Stadium.
During that game, a 2-1 win for City that saw midfielder Fernandinho sent off for the third time this season, the angst was clear on Guardiola's face as he prowled the touchline shaking his head, raising his arms and portraying a general sense of displeasure at referees, opponents and maybe even life in general in the unforgiving world of English football.