Nathan Ake recognises Manchester City are now in a powerful position thanks to the return to form and fitness of Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne.
City have won their last 10 matches in all competitions and are gathering a momentum that could be ominous for their rivals as they bid to repeat their glorious treble of last year.
Their current run started without the influence of the talismanic pairing of De Bruyne and Haaland as both nursed injuries.
Yet both are now back in business, as seen in Saturday’s hard-fought 2-0 win over Everton in which Haaland scored both and De Bruyne created one, and City are looking tough to stop.
Defender Ake said: “We know how good both of them are and when Kevin came on, straight away he looked for Erling. They looked for each other.
“It’s massive that they’re both fit, both ready to go and it’s good to see that we’re doing well.
“It’s just a lift to see everyone back – we haven’t had that for a while – especially the players who can make differences in tight games like this. It’s massive for us.”
De Bruyne missed most of the first half of the season following hamstring surgery but has been eased back into action over the past month.
Ake is surprised how well the Belgian playmaker has hit the ground running.
The Dutchman said: “If you’re out for five or six months normally it takes you a little bit of time but straight away he’s been ready to go, from the first moment.
“I think everyone expected to have to give him a bit of time but he’s been training really well in the gym, he’s worked really hard. You could see on the pitch straight away he was ready.”
Haaland broke the deadlock in a tight game against Everton with a ruthless finish when a rebound fell his way in the 70th minute. He then wrapped up the win after being played in by De Bruyne five minutes from time.
They were his first goals since November having spent two months on the sidelines with a foot problem.
Ake said: “He’s so quick, he’s fast, he’s strong. Out of nothing he can score and in those spaces one versus one it’s very difficult to stop him.”
Manager Pep Guardiola feels De Bruyne and Haaland add an extra layer to a side that was already impressing him.
He said: “These guys have special qualities. They have ability in final third to create something that is not in the statistics, not in the books, in genius managers. To have them for 90 minutes or even 30 or 45 minutes, it is better.
“That is not going to undermine what all their mates have done. We have a team with huge personalities in difficult moments. Otherwise we would not be here again and again.”
Postecoglou not motivated by denting Arsenal's title hopes in north London derby
Ange Postecoglou insists Tottenham must focus on themselves heading into the north London derby with Arsenal, rather than on denting their rivals' Premier League title hopes.
With four matches remaining, the Gunners are a point clear at the summit from reigning champions Manchester City, who still have a game in hand on Mikel Arteta's side in second place.
While Arsenal look to stay very much in the hunt for a first league crown in 20 years, fifth-place Tottenham will aim to reduce their six-point deficit to fourth-place Aston Villa, on whom they have two games in hand.
Spurs are winless in the last three north London derbies - winning just one of the most recent six - though they twice came from behind to earn a point in September's reverse fixture at the Emirates Stadium.
And Postecoglou has his sights firmly set on beating his side's rivals, and says his players are not driven by the prospect of thwarting their opponents' title bid.
"Not in terms of that as a motivation," he said when asked if he would like to dent Arsenal's title hopes.
"I understand the importance of winning against your traditional rival. I never believe your motivation should revolve around the demise of somebody else.
"Your motivation should be about yourself. We can win on Sunday, but it doesn't mean we are title contenders this year. I want to win because I want us to progress. I want us to be in a position fighting for the title.
"If that's your kind of measure, always peering over the back fence to see what your neighbour's building, you could both have the worst houses in the street because everyone else is building beautiful places, and you're looking over the back fence."
Leicester City seal automatic Premier League return
Leicester City are once more a Premier League team, having bounced straight back after relegation last season.
The Foxes secured automatic promotion without kicking a ball, as title rivals Leeds United lost 4-0 away to Queens Park Rangers on Friday.
Marti Cifuentes' Hoops side gave their fans a reason to cheer in their final home game of the season, and the emphatic win means they are now seven points clear of the relegation zone.
The Hoops boss told BBC Sport: "I came here, perhaps I was crazy thinking we could manage the great escape.
"The atmosphere has been unbelievable since I came here. Everybody thought tonight could be a special night to achieve our target.
"Big players deliver big performances and our players all did that tonight."
Defeat ensured only Ipswich Town can now finish above Leicester, meaning the Foxes will be back in the big time.
Ipswich, who have three games left to play, face play-off hopefuls Hull City on Saturday.
Speaking to BBC Sport, Leeds boss Daniel Farke said: "It's not in our hands any more [automatic promotion], we need to be honest.
"The race is not over. If Ipswich win the next two games then I will say congratulations, but if they don’t win them then we will have a lot to play for.
"As long as we have a chance, I’m far away from giving up."
Leicester could be crowned champions if they beat Preston North End on Monday and if Hull beat Ipswich.
The Foxes are looking to break the 100-point barrier, despite a wobble from Enzo Maresca's side in recent months.
After they had been so far ahead and top for all but two of the 176 days between 23 September and 17 March, an untimely dip in form handed Leeds and Ipswich hope.
However, while Leicester celebrate their promotion, they face the daunting prospect of starting next season with a points deduction, after they were charged by the Premier League with alleged breaches of the competition's Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR).
Nashville SC v San Jose Earthquakes: ‘A win would change everything’ - Godoy
Anibal Godoy insists that Nashville are already looking at their game against San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday as a must-win.
Nashville have won just once in the MLS this season and sit in 14th place in the Eastern Conference after a run of four without a win.
The Earthquakes, meanwhile, are bottom of the Western Conference having lost eight of their matches and recording just one win.
Godoy is aware of how their poor start to the season could affect their playoff hopes later down the line but is confident that Nashville can turn things around.
He said: “For us, it's an important week. It's a day we have to win, or we'll start to feel the pressure from other teams as they start to separate in the table.
“This league is long but if we want to get to the playoff you have to win games early on, especially at home.”
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