PEP GUARDIOLA IS confident Manchester City will retain the Premier League title if they maintain their current level of performance.
The treble winners have been held to draws in their last three games at the hands of Chelsea, Liverpool and Tottenham.
Yet in a strong message to rivals and any doubters, Guardiola has insisted his players are not lacking any hunger as they chase a fourth successive league crown.
The City manager said: “I have a feeling that if we maintain that level, we’ll win the Premier League. We will win it again.
“If we (could) maintain the level of Liverpool and Tottenham, I’ll sign for it right now. We didn’t win 5-0 – we drew – but I’d sign right now (for) my team (to) behave the way we’ve played the last two games.
“I don’t know if we can sustain that all season and that is the challenge.”
Guardiola name-checked a number of prominent football pundits, including former Manchester United defender Gary Neville, as he insisted there was no complacency within his squad.
“I don’t have anything to say about the pundits,” said Guardiola, whose side travel to Aston Villa on Wednesday.
“Maybe I’m wrong but I don’t think it’s about complacency. I know the players, I know how they run. How we behave is extraordinary.
“He knows how difficult it is otherwise Gary Neville would’ve won four Premier Leagues in the best period of Manchester United. But he didn’t do it.
“I see my team, how they fight, how they press, how they continue until the end and how upset they are after we concede.
“Maybe, maybe I’m wrong and they are seeing everything that I’m not able to see, but I don’t have that feeling.
“Jamie Carragher didn’t win one (league title). Micah Richards didn’t win four Premier Leagues in a row. Never, ever.”
I think I’d have probably won one if Liverpool were owned by a nation state, and pushed the rules so far that the PL charged us 115 times!!
— Jamie Carragher (@Carra23) December 5, 2023
I was actually praising Pep’s team after the game on Sunday 🤷♂️😂 https://t.co/EIW3B1AJve
Guardiola has also defended the conduct of his team after the stormy end to Sunday’s 3-3 draw with Spurs.
A number of players surrounded referee Simon Hooper in protest when Erling Haaland was denied the chance to play advantage after being fouled.
Haaland had quickly got up from a bad tackle to play a through-ball for Jack Grealish which could have led to a stoppage-time City winner.
City have been charged with failing to control their players over the incident by the Football Association.
“I would like to know how the reaction should be when that last action happened,” Guardiola said.
“We didn’t lose because of that action, maybe Jack wouldn’t have scored.
“But I would like to know from the Premier League or whoever, how should we react in that situation? We want to be there, we want to compete against the top sides. It’s a human instinct.
“Right now the players would not react in that way, but in that moment someone tell me. They want to fine (us), we’ll be fined. It’s fine, but I promise you, if you are a footballer and it happened, you would react in that way.
“It happened 20 years ago, 40 years ago. It will happen in 40 years. Of course you have to respect the referees. Tell me one player or manager who doesn’t respect the referees, but it is emotions. It is feelings.”
In fairness they probably will win the league again but giving City fines is a waste of time. Let’s see how they punish the 115 charges that’s the true test Everton get stung with a 10 point deduction for a fraction of the charges
@mainmsam: You’d like em to see justice, particularly after what happened to Everton but they have the resources to drag it out for years and would we be surprised if there were shady dealings going on in the interim? Unfortunately I wouldn’t be surprised if they get away with it. And you’re correct, fines are utterly useless as punishment.
If Liverpool don’t win the league, I hope Arsenal do it. Pep getting a bit smug.
Guardiola is a nasty piece of work. Only manages clubs with huge financial advantages over everyone else. Stick him in charge of Everton or Wolves and see how he’d get on. 115 charges of financial impropriety hanging over city but they are allowed plough on with impunity.
@Aidan Farrell: He had a huge advantage with Bayern in Bundesliga but did Barcelona have a huge advantage on Real?
Or have city spent more than Utd or Chelsea since he’s come to Pl?
He’s a top coach, top coaches get the top clubs. He doesn’t need to go to Everton or Wolves. Not yet anyway.
@Bert Carolan: Barcelona – a 2 team league for the most part. There isn’t a manager in world football who wouldn’t have been successful with Xavi, Iniesta and Messi in the team. Bayern – a 1 team league. City – he has never been refused a player. Has signed 9 (NINE) defenders for £50m or more. Doesn’t have to operate within the budgetary framework of a normal club. A signing doesn’t work out? Just go out and get someone in who is more expensive again. Don’t forget his failed Nandralone tests as a player either. Or being in charge of Barcelona when they are accused of paying the referees’ chief. Of course he’s just unlucky that all these things happen. Just an unfortunate coincidence.
@Aidan Farrell: Yes he had the 3 brilliant players in his Barca team that you name but he brought those players through. It can be argued that they were great players because HE was the coach.
As regards the 50 million plus defenders I would ask how many 50 million plus defenders have Chelsea and Utd signed in the same time that he has been at City? Probably not far off 9 each, maybe more.
A signing doesn’t work out? What have Utd been doing? Chelsea?
Certainly he works in a different environment than say de Zerbi. That doesn’t mean he isn’t a great coach.
Don’t know enough about the Nandralone to comment.
@Aidan Farrell: so no matter what he does you will dismiss his achievements utter and absolute jealousy from mostly Liverpool fans.
@paulie: nail on head
Im no fan of carragher and i think he’s a very very lucky man to still be in a job with sky after his behaviour a few years ago but I’d have more respect for what he achieved in his career than pep.
@Brian Dunne: True I mean has Pep ever won? Oh hang on…
@Brian Dunne: He should have been fired after that, but what kind of father puts his kid in the firing line too. That guy should not have gotten a free pass… a real big man…. He was pathetic for behaving like that when with little ones.
@Brian Dunne: that is such a pathetic comment born from ignorance and green with envy….why I can see you glowing from all the way over here
@Aidan Ryan: I’m not a Pool or Utd fan but why is his comment pathetic? The spitting incident was disgusting.
Man City are shipping in too many goals which is very unusual. Really missing Debryne too
Petty Guardiola, same fella who proclaimed he’d walk away if city were found guilty of the last charges. Couldn’t be convicted of those because they were able to drag it out long enough, tha idiot premier league don’t have a have a cut off timeframe.
Must be tough for a manager like Pep having to listen to pundits like Neville and Careagher who were inferior players and totally clueless when it comes to management. I guess he just got to get on with it..
@Tom Walsh: I’d say he is more annoyed that his owners have not been able to muzzle them yet.
@Tom Walsh, it’s hard to take you seriously when you’re an ex-Utd fan who now follows City.
@Heywood Jablome: Wrong Tom Walsh I’m afraid. Never supported Utd in my life. Or City for that matter. I’m a gooner