THE NOTEBOOK: Pep Guardiola back to his animated best in the dugout after his surgery…while Gareth Southgate may need a parking spot at the Etihad

Manchester City maintained their perfect start to the Premier League season with a 2-0 victory over Nottingham Forest, despite having to play most of the second half with ten men. 

Goals from Erling Haaland and Phil Foden inside the first 15 minutes were enough to see off Steve Cooper’s side, and see City make it six wins from six so far this season. 

However, there was one setback for Pep Guardiola as Rodri was shown red following a clash with Morgan Gibbs-White just after the break. 

The sending off means the Spaniard will now miss City’s crunch game with Arsenal next month. 

Away from the headlines, here’s some talking points you may have missed from Ian Whittell…  

Rodri was shown a red card after clashing with Morgan Gibbs-White right after half time 

Back to work  

Any suggestion that Pep Guardiola’s recent back surgery might have dampened his touchline antics was quickly dispelled just 17 minutes into the clash.

The City boss missed two league games before the international break after undergoing the surgery in Barcelona.

And whatever rehab regimen he was put on presumably did not include berating the officials and picking up a yellow card, which he duly did after Manuel Akanji gave away a free-kick on the edge of the City area.

Pep Guardiola was back to his animated self on the touchline following his back surgery 

Ten in, ten out  

Forest’s incredible, on-going churn of playing staff was summed up by one simple fact at the Etihad.

Almost exactly 12 months ago, on match day five of the 2022-23 Premier League calendar, Steve Cooper’s side was soundly beaten, 6-0, by the eventual treble winners.

Of his starting XI that day, only one player – Morgan Gibbs-White – was on the pitch at kick-off yesterday.

Southgate’s spot  

Gareth Southgate will soon have a regular parking bay at the Etihad, judging by the fact he was making his second visit there this week.

The England boss was on hand on Tuesday as City started their Champions League campaign with a 3-1 win over Red Star.

And he was back for more, presumably with the main mission of weighing up Phil Foden whose exclusion from England starting line-ups has been a bone of contention recently. Foden’s response, with a goal after seven minutes, was devastating.

England boss Gareth Southgate was back at the Etihad for the second time in a week 

Southgate was also seen deep in conversation with City director of football Txiki Begiristain, perhaps discussing whether England regular Kelvin Phillips will ever start for Pep Guardiola.

Despite City’s injury problems, Phillips was again on the bench, but Rodri’s dismissal forced him into nearly a full half of emergency action which he carried out well.

Home comforts  

The notion that City fans are spoiled, certainly at the Etihad, grows with every passing week as their team’s home supremacy mounts.

Since their last home league defeat, to Brentford just before the World Cup break last November, City have played 1,260 minutes of Premier League football at home – and trailed for only 25 of them.

Liverpool held a lead for 10 minutes, on the way to a 4-1 defeat, and Spurs had the audacity to twice take the lead – for a total of 15 minutes – before going on to lose 4-2.

Of the 14 games since that shock 2-1 loss to Brentford, City have won 13 and only dropped points in a 1-1 draw with Everton on New Year’s Eve.

In all competitions, City have won 22 and drawn one of their 23 home games since they last lost.

Man City fans have been spoilt watching their team at the Etihad winning 22 of the last 23 home games