And yet, here we are with the City manager apparently happy for his team to throw performance out of the window as long as they show him that killer instinct. If it is a stark departure from the norm, it reflects the mood of anticipation and opportunity coursing through the Etihad.
Looking in a more relaxed pose he and his son pose for photos in the new December issue of GQ magazine and Anthony says: "We all have that killer instinct, but we dampen it down in life.
He continued: "Dublin, I feel, have practiced so much for playing against packed defences, recycling the ball, that they've almost lost that killer instinct of realising, 'there's a shot on here' or 'there's a one-on-one on here or a two-on-two, let's go for it'.
Not yet the proficient "close protection" operative she will become, Zoe is nonetheless very capable, using the skills learned in the Army though still without the Killer Instinct of the title.
We have to try to win as a team, to improve as a team, but also add the attacking player with that killer instinct and the number of goals that push teams to different levels.
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