According to Tim Sherwood, Manchester City are the best team on the planet at the moment.
Bayern Munich and Barcelona might have something to say about that in the weeks and months to come but after Tottenham were so easily torn apart by City in the week, who are we to argue with the Spurs boss?
Under Manuel Pellegrini’s command City are deservedly top of the Barclays Premier League, and he has transformed the team, with considerable additions to the squad to help him.
Best in the world? Tottenham boss Tim Sherwood believes Manchester City are the most talented team on the planet at present+11
Best in the world? Tottenham boss Tim Sherwood believes Manchester City are the most talented team on the planet at present
Last season was a missed opportunity. City should have kicked on from their first Barclays Premier League title, but the players just didn’t like Roberto Mancini and the way he managed them. It was that blatant and it held them back.
Pellegrini came with considerable pedigree after his success in Spain and he earned the respect of his players with his teams at Villarreal and Malaga, who should have knocked Borussia Dortmund out of the Champions League last season.
He came over to England in the 80s and attended courses with coaches like Don Howe, Sir Bobby Robson and Mick Wadsworth and has always been a big fan of the British game. When he returned to work here, he had extensive knowledge of the Premier League.
He certainly knew how to handle the City dressing room and made it his first objective to make it a happy dressing room, which can make such a massive difference to any team.
In control: City manager Manuel Pellegrini has got his side playing an attractive brand of attacking football+11
In control: City manager Manuel Pellegrini has got his side playing an attractive brand of attacking football
If you go in to work every day knowing you will enjoy yourself, you take that confidence and exuberance into games.
During matches Pellegrini looks relaxed. He looks like a manager who trusts his players with his instructions and his demeanour is playing a part in getting the best out of his players.
It helps that City have the most expensively assembled group of players in the world who, we are told this week, are paid nearly £639,000 a day between them.
I don’t know about value for money but what a squad he’s got.
Going forward there is nothing like them, with David Silva and Jesus Navas, Samir Nasri, when fit, pulling strings in all directions.
Magician: David Silva pulled the strings for City in their 5-1 demolition of Tottenham on Wednesday+11
Magician: David Silva pulled the strings for City in their 5-1 demolition of Tottenham on Wednesday
Fernandinho has settled in as if he’s been here for years, Negredo has arguably been the signing of last summer and is a constant threat, Stevan Jovetic is now back to full fitness and scored the other night, and Aguero is up there with Luis Suarez as the best striker in the Premier League. It is a shame the Argentine will miss the first leg of City's Champions League clash against Barcelona after he was ruled out for a month with a hamstring injury.
As for Yaya Toure, I don’t know if there is a better all-round midfielder in the world. Box-to-box there is no one with his power, pace and strength and this season, just to add to his game, he has discovered he can take free-kicks.
You look at his game, and there are no weaknesses, although as Didi Hamann pointed out recently, he doesn’t always offer the greatest protection to his back four.
Didi was one of the best at it, so I take his point, and Toure will need to take that responsibility more seriously when they play Barcelona.
Negredo is an interesting one and his relationship says a lot about Pellegrini who released the striker when he was in his early 20s at Real Madrid.