Manchester City all but confirmed their place in this seasons Champions League after a 5-0 play-off win over Steaua Bucharest on Tuesday. Just two games into his reign, Pep Guardiola has masterminded the clubs biggest-ever away win in Europe.This was a performance that demonstrated why City officials waited patiently for three years for Guardiola to become available. The inertia and lack of intensity that ruined their last campaign has been stamped out immediately, and City are playing with a freedom and brilliance theyve rarely managed over the last two seasons. The new manager has had an immediate impact.Raheem Sterling dazzled again, assisting two goals and using his pace to cause untold problems for the Steaua defence, and Sergio Aguero managed to score a hat-trick and miss two penalties.The gulf in class was frightening. Steaua huffed and puffed, but City simply toyed with their opponents. It could have been 10.This was a performance that saw pace, quick incisive passing and an insatiable appetite to attack the opposition. It will take time for Guardiolas ideas to be fully realised, with City still missing some key recruits that will further transform the side, but the Catalan manager has had an obvious effect already.Forget the tactics that were pored over after the win over Sunderland, this was about players who feel free to express themselves and play their natural, instinctive game. The movement, the passing, the desire to win the ball backall the hallmarks of Guardiola sides were there.Steaua were forgiving opponents. They were disjointed and slower than Citydespite their league season being three weeks old alreadyand enjoyed far less possession. When they did get the ball, they couldnt match Citys potency, producing very little in the final third.But that should not detract from Citys display. Some of the football they played was sublime. Their fourth, in particular, saw them cut Steaua apart with a period of sustained possession, working the ball from left to right and bamboozling the Romanians, who just couldnt get a foot on the ball. ThenNolito and Aguero exchanged a neat one-two, and the Argentinian finished with aplomb.This was football at its most fluent, and City fans should be excited about the prospect of what Guardiola can achieve.These @FCSteaua fans are class - clapping #MCFC off, and getting applauded back by the players. Stuart Brennan (@StuBrennanMEN) August 16, 2016Sterling was perhaps the standout player. The 21-year-old was struggling towards the end of last seasonout of the starting XI and looking completely shorn of confidence. His time at this summers European Championships with England was little better.But in the two games City have played so far under Guardiola, as well as the pre-season game against Arsenal in Gothenburg, hes looked reborn. Moved to the right and asked to attack the byline, but detailed to move inside if he feels he can hurt the opposition, hes looked back to his Liverpool best, where his precociousness and love of football took him to great heights.Young players will always have dips in formits part of their developmentthe true test is how they emerge from a slump. Sterling wont be getting carried away, and there is plenty of work for him still to do, but its been an immaculate start to the season for a young man who has been unfairly pilloried by fans and pundits over the past 12 months.He won a penalty for the second game in succession after being brought down by Sulley Muniru, and he set up Citys opener superbly, picking the pocket of Muniru before checking back inside and squaring for the exceptional David Silva, who rammed the ball home.Sterling was everywhere, not restricted by position. It was instinctive, impulsive footballthe kind that suits him and sees him prosper. He assisted Citys second with a beautifully controlled layoff and continued to rip Steaua apart with positive, direct wing play thereafter.Guardiola has instilled belief into a player who looked lost prior to his arrival.#WednesdayWisdompic.twitter.com/jXsZCZwt0s Manchester City (@ManCity) August 17, 2016Agueros two missed penalties became a mere footnote on a night he once again underlined his goalscoring prowess.His first miss from the spot saw Florin Nita, who was arguably the man of the match, save to his right; his second was hit harder but clipped the top of the crossbar and went over.He has now missed four of his last five penalties in this competition. Most feel he should be relieved of his duties, but Guardiola insisted afterwards he would leave it up to the players.I am confident if Aguero is confident, and as far as I am concerned, he is still taking the penalties," the Spaniard said.Yes, he missed two penalties, but after the first he wanted to take the second, and I like a player who stand up to that responsibility."I like that he believes he has that power.I will leave it up to the players, but I am happy to let him carry on, but I will leave it up to the players for the next one.Willy Caballero was once again preferred to Joe Hart in goal, with the England mans future at the club plunged into serious doubt in the opening weeks of Guardiolas tenure. Caballero has been picked ahead of Hart because of his superior footwork and distributionbut on the evidence of the two games this week, he isnt doing enough to justify that decision.City have been so overwhelmingly in control of their last two matches that the Argentinian's shot-stopping has rarely been in evidence. But against Steaua, like against Sunderland, his passing was sometimes nervous.He wants the ball at his feet and is far more comfortable with the idea of playing out from the back than Hart, but he has needlessly put City under pressure on a few occasions, which isn't a good look when your place in the side has been met with confusion by the fans.But it seems Guardiola has made his mind up on Hart. His game is too limited to excel in his possession-based system. A new No. 1 is likely to arrive before the transfer window shuts, with Barcelonas Claudio Bravo in pole position. Harts future remains decidedly unclear.Theres an excitement among the City supporters once more. Guardiola has re-energised the squad and the fanbase. His ideas are simple and galvanising. He wants his side to express themselves, play with freedom and attackto move the ball quickly and harry the opposition out of their stride.We are almost in the Champions League, which was our target from the beginning, Guardiola said afterwards.It was a great performance and great attitude from the players. We played really, really good, the result is amazing, but its the way we played which means I'm so satisfied. Its a big compliment for these fantastic players.All of the managers in the world want to create chances and to concede few, thats what we all wantOK, we are there, so now rest and then focus on Stoke and the second game.You have to work hard, first and foremost, as well as be able to play the game with technical proficiency. A few weeks in and City are showing signs of rapid development.Ilkay Gundogan, Leroy Sane and Vincent Kompany are all set to come into the manager's thinking in the coming weeks, and those who had truncated pre-season programmes will undoubtedly get fitter and sharper. It's a frightening prospect.Welcome to Guardiola's City.Rob Pollard is Bleacher Report's lead Manchester City correspondent and follows the club from a Manchester base. All quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow him on Twitter @RobPollard_.
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