Pep Guardiola has admitted he thought his strikers lost where the goal was in Manchester City's first half display against Hull City, as reported by The Sun.
The Spaniard saw his side eventually go on to win the game 3-0, but the Citizens' struggled to break the Tigers down in the opening 45 minutes at the KCOM.
Hull managed to frustrate City in the beginning, putting men behind the ball and allowing their opponents to receive the ball in and around their own penalty box.
It would seem that a frustrated Guardiola delivered amotivational half-time speech in the dressing room, as his players became moreurgent in the second half.
Hull still defended resolutely, but came unstuck whenAndrew Robertson conceded a penalty - which was duly converted by Yaya Toure.
It was the moment that seem to allow City to relax andthe floodgates to open, with Kelechi Iheanacho adding a second, and Raheem Sterling forcing an injury-time own goal.
Despite a convincing scoreline on the face of things, Guardiola was unconvinced and admitted: "We forgot in the first half that the goal was there, especially the wingers. Every time the race was there, it was pass, pass, pass.
"In the second half Sterling got to the byline, he created the penalty, and created the third goal “ the wingers have to be aggressive. Not just Raheem, all the strikers have to attack the goal.�
The KCOM clash gained even more importance after league leaders Chelsea recorded their 12th straight league win earlier in the day over Bournemouth, taking them an initial nine points clear of Liverpool.
3-0 was certainly a positive result on the face of things, even if the resultmight have flattered them a little. Guardiola's men might have to step up their game when they face Jurgen Klopp's Reds on New Year's Eve.