Savihno, who scored and assisted against Leicester last weekend, also set up two goals for Erling Haaland in the 4-1 triumph over West Ham. Pep Guardiola emphasized the young Brazilian’s recent performances’ mental component, implying that overanalyzing does not hinder him in pivotal situations.

After making a high-profile transfer from Troyes, the 20-year-old had a strong start to the season, recording three assists in his first five Premier League games. However, his own form declined along with City’s collective problems, and the Leicester victory put an end to a run of 11 league games in which he failed to score or provide an assist.
Guardiola told the City club reporters, “I think he’s clean in his mind,” about Savinho. “He doesn’t give it much thought. Players believe they deserve something special for their accomplishments after many years here. That is a grave error. You must repeatedly demonstrate it.

“Savinho has all he needs to succeed. Even though he still needs to work on being more aggressive when he doesn’t have the ball, he currently possesses a unique skill that can benefit the squad. The two assists were outstanding, but his goal [against Leicester] was fortunate. He deserves to play, and I’m very thrilled for him.”

“He had many moments where he did really well,” said De Bruyne. He had a great start to the season, in my opinion, but it was clearly difficult for him as a young player when we performed a little worse.  It appears that he has regained his confidence recently. He performed pretty well today, and scoring last week can be helpful.

Moving from the right flank to the left, where he is presently receiving the nod ahead of Jack Grealish and Jeremy Doku, has coincided with Savinho’s comeback to form. However, with City playing six more games in January alone, he will have fierce competition from both players in the upcoming weeks.