Manchester City moved up to third in the Premier League last weekend courtesy of a hard-fought 2-1 victory over struggling Swansea at the Etihad Stadium.

Pep Guardiola’s side took advantage of defeats for both Arsenal and Liverpool, although the Citizens needed a late Gabriel Jesus goal to see off the Swans, who had cancelled out Jesus’ opener when Gylfi Sigurdsson fired home with just nine minutes to go.

Nonetheless, it was an important win for City, as it kept them ten points adrift of league leaders Chelsea, who beat Arsenal 3-1, with just 14 games of the season remaining.

It may seem like too big a gap to overhaul, but Guardiola’s men have been much-improved in recent weeks, and still have to go to Stamford Bridge in a bid to claw back some points.

Although it’ll be a tough ask catching Antonio Conte’s men, City are sure to have a go, and here is the City XI that can reel the Blues in over the coming months…

Willy Caballero

Guardiola has recently dropped first choice goalkeeper Claudio Bravo after a string of unconvincing displays, with Willy Caballero deputising for the Chilean international.

And, in the two Premier League games the 35-year-old has played in the last few weeks, he’s performed solidly, conceding just the one goal in the two matches against West Ham and Swansea.

The Argentine hasn’t done anything wrong, and there’s nothing to suggest that Bravo will come back into the side in the near future.

Thus, Caballero looks set for a run in the side over the coming weeks after conceding just one goal in the two league games he played last week.

Fernandinho

There were some surprised people up and down the country on Sunday when Guardiola announced his team to face Swansea, as midfielder Fernandinho was chosen at right-back.

Given that he has been one of the best midfielders in the Premier League since his arrival in England back in 2014, it seemed a strange move, but it makes complete sense given that Guardiola likes his full-backs to tuck in to the middle of the park, which is of course Fernandinho’s natural position.

His energy and work-rate makes the 31-year-old perfect for the full-back role, but also in providing extra support in the centre of midfield.

Thus, he may continue in that role over the course of the season, restricting the likes of Bacary Sagna and Pablo Zabaleta to the substitute’s bench.

John Stones

He has received a fair bit of criticism this season, but there’s no doubt that John Stones can go on and become a world-class defender.

The 22-year-old has made several high-profile errors over the course of the season, the most recent one against former club Everton a few weeks ago, but Guardiola is encouraging him to play the way he wants, which means bringing the ball out of defence, and retaining possession in his own half and penalty box.

Stones will make errors, he’s only 22 and the way he plays always runs that risk, yet if he can build his confidence up playing that way, and indeed know when and when not to do so, then he’ll be the defender Guardiola wants in the heart of his City backline.

Nicolas Otamendi

Nicolas Otamendi, like many City defenders this season, has made errors and had terrible games, yet he’s arguably the best out-and-out defender at the club at present.

The Argentine international has started 19 of their 24 Premier League games this term, although didn’t feature in their 2-1 victory over Swansea on Sunday.

Nonetheless, the 28-year-old has consistently been one of City’s highest-rated performers over the course of the campaign, and he seems to have taken to Guardiola’s methods reasonably well, given that he is performing better this season than he did last time out.

Otamendi is still prone to the odd error, but he’s clearly a very adept defender, and one City will need to be at the top of his game over the coming months if they are to catch Chelsea.

Aleksandar Kolarov

The left-back slot does appear to be a problem area for Guardiola, with both Aleksandar Kolarov and Gael Clichy having not been totally convincing this season.

However, including Serbian international gives the City boss the option of changing his system mid-game, as Kolarov is just as adept, if not better, as part of a back three.

Guardiola clearly rates the 31-year-old, given that he’s played the joint-most amount of games for the club this season alongside Raheem Sterling, and his dead-ball ability and wand of a left foot will always give City something extra in the final third.

Kolarov likes to get forward and get crosses in, and when he’s in good form, those crosses more often than not lead to goal-scoring opportunities.

Yaya Toure

Yaya Toure was nowhere near the City squad in the early phase of the season, for one reason or another, but his reintroduction into the side has paid dividends for manager Guardiola.

The Ivorian came back into the starting eleven against Crystal Palace on November 19, and netted twice and produced a man-of-the-match performance to remind the City faithful of what they’ve been missing.

Since then, Toure has gone on to appear in 12 further Premier League games, scoring twice more, and he’s also been included in their Champions League for their knock-out campaign in the coming weeks.

He’s clearly still got a lot to offer this City side – his discipline in midfield is still slightly questionable, but Guardiola clearly trusts him in that position, and he’s sure to keep his place for a while yet if his displays continue to be of such a high standard.

Kevin De Bruyne

Kevin De Bruyne’s performances in recent weeks have been back up to the standard we all expect from such a talented midfielder.

The Belgian international netted in City’s 2-2 draw with Tottenham on January 21, before scoring the opener in their 4-0 thumping of West Ham on February 1.

De Bruyne went through a quiet spell over the festive period, failing to net in five matches, yet he looks to be getting back to his best as part of a frighteningly good City frontline.

With nine assists this term, no one has registered more in the Premier League than the 25-year-old, who will be crucial in City’s chances of reeling Chelsea in come May.

David Silva

He’s technically one of the best players in the Premier League, and now David Silva is beginning to make things tick in the City attacking third once again.

The Spanish international went through a tricky spell back in October and November, where he didn’t directly contribute to a goal in six matches, but he’s already netted twice in 2017, and registered a goal and two assists in December.

Silva was outstanding against West Ham and also impressed against Swansea last time out, with his stunning cross late on enabling Gabriel Jesus to notch his second of the match, and indeed secure the points for Guardiola’s side.

An excellent start to 2017 sets Silva in good stead to help take City nearer to Chelsea over the coming months.

Raheem Sterling

The first part of City’s new fearsome front three, Raheem Sterling is beginning to re-discover his early season form in the first months of 2017.

The England international started the campaign on fire with five goals and five assists in his first nine appearances in all competitions, but then went on a barren run of no goals and just one assist in 11 matches.

The confidence he gathered from the first few weeks appeared to go, yet a goal and three assists in his last seven games for City has given the 22-year-old a new lease of life.

His end product still occasionally lets him down, but when he’s in this current form, Sterling is an extremely difficult player to defend against, so keeping him confident between now and May will be integral for City in their quest to catch Chelsea.

Leroy Sane

He didn’t make the best of starts to his City career, but Leroy Sane has recently shown everyone why the club spent over £35 million on him last summer.

The German international failed to net in any of his first 12 appearances for the club, while also contributing just two assists in that time, which meant that he couldn’t nail down a spot in the starting eleven.

However, a run of three goals in three successive starts has underlined his ability in the final third, and two subsequent starts since in the wins over West Ham and Swansea have demonstrated Sane’s importance to the team in the front three.

His energy to make things happen and take defenders on makes him extremely tough to defend against and, although his decision-making and final ball needs some improvement, it’s clear that City have got a seriously top talent in their ranks, and one that will be crucial in the coming months.

Gabriel Jesus

You’ve got to be a pretty good forward to relegate Sergio Aguero to a spot on the bench, but that’s exactly what Gabriel Jesus has done.

The Brazilian international officially signed for City last month after agreeing a deal earlier in the season, and immediately set about showing everybody what he can do with a goal and an assist in his first Premier League start against West Ham last week.

And then, in his first start at the Etihad Stadium, the 19-year-old bagged a brace to help Guardiola’s men see off Swansea, but it was the nature of his all round performance, and indeed link-up play with Sterling and Sane, which excited many City supporters.

Jesus is quick and agile but also incredibly strong and able to hold the ball up, and looks set to keep Aguero out of the side over the coming weeks.