Pep Guardiola namechecks Newcastle United as Man City manager looks for ideas to get his team firing again

For a while it looked like the wheels had absolutely come off the Pep Guardiola project at Manchester City with the Premier League champions, ironically, seemingly unable to buy a win.

City do look to have turned a corner now, domestically, at least as they blew a two-goal lead to lose 4-2 to Paris Saint Germain in the Champions League last night.

Many pundits believe their run of poor form at the end of last year has blown their title chances, but you can never really rule them out until the maths says so.

It would be nice for Newcastle if Man City would go on another poor run, with the Magpies set to face off against Pep's side next month.

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Pep Guardiola wished Manchester City played more like Newcastle United

Injuries have played their part in the Man City story this season, there's no denying that, but Pep Guardiola believes it's more than just that and has looked to the likes of Newcastle and Bournemouth for answers, as he told TNT Sports before the Champions League clash last night (via The Chronicle).

"We didn't fight properly because we were not in the rhythm we should have been. Modern football these days is the way Bournemouth play, Newcastle play, Brighton play, Liverpool play.

"Like we were [used to be]. It's modern football. It's not positional. You have to rise to the rhythm and we could not. We didn't have the players. Arsenal, Madrid, every team has had injuries. When you play every three days. The teams that play one game a week, it's another story. That doesn't count.

"It counts when you play every three or four days. It's never happened before but it has made me reflect, when it happens in the future we have to have a bigger squad."

Newcastle can take advantage of Man City's Champions League fate either way

It's strange to think while fans up and down the country would kill for their team to play like Manchester City, Pep Guardiola is wishing his team would play like Newcastle and Brighton.

Man City are one game away from going out of the Champions League which would be unthinkable, but should that happen, would their confidence be shattered enough to make life easy for Newcastle next month?

Or if they do beat Club Brugge and progress, will they be distracted enough that Newcastle get the advantage? Either way can work.