Pep Guardiola demands Man City improvement to compete with Arsenal in tight Premier League title race
Pep Guardiola does not think Man City's current performance level is good enough to sustain a title challenge despite winning for a seventh game in a row in all competitions; City have temporarily overtaken Arsenal at the top of the Premier League
Saturday 20 December 2025 22:40, UK
Pep Guardiola has demanded more "bravery" from his Manchester City side after beating West Ham 3-0 and criticised a lack of "positional courage".
City stormed into a 2-0 lead by half time at the Etihad and were cruising before the Hammers attempted to enact a comeback, creating three goalscoring chances at the beginning of the second half - all of which were squandered.
Having created zero xG in the first period, and not managing to land a single effort at goal - let alone on target - Nuno Espirito Santo's West Ham side racked up seven shots after the break and two big chances, leading Guardiola to say his players were not "brave enough" in possession.
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City have won each of their last three Premier League games while keeping a clean sheet for the first time since 2021, and are on a seven-game winning streak in all competitions.
"With the ball we are not good," Guardiola told Sky Sports. "So we give away many things because we are not in the right spots to break the lines and make the next steps.
"Because the players are not courageous to do that action. But we will improve it because we are so open. The group is amazing, we will try to do it.
"I'm happy, I cannot deny, but the way we play with the ball we have to improve or it will not be enough in March or April to be a contender to win the league.
"I said to my players: 'Merry Christmas for everyone but it will not be enough if we do not improve'.
"With the positions we have to be brave. We were not there. How many chances did they have first half? Zero, none. But even with that we were not in the right places to create, to be more solid. We didn't do the right process to be more consistent. Gigi [Donnarumma] saved us.
"If they follow me we will be there, but we have to improve. I know the level in this league, I know Arsenal, I know how tough they are. It's not enough. The spirit is there. But many, many things we must do better."
It is not the first time Guardiola has been critical of his own players after a victory in the last week. After a 3-0 win against Crystal Palace on Sunday he labelled Phil Foden "not good", despite scoring his sixth goal in four Premier League games.
"He didn't play at his best, so he lost a lot of balls. He was so in a rush in his decisions, he was so anxious," the Man City boss said.
"He has to play, just keep the ball and be associated with the other ones, and, in the right moment, make this explosion that only he has in terms of goals and assists.
"But before that he has to be more calm. He always wants to do it well, he wants to help the others. He makes the situations not clear."
And after Man City beat Brentford in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals on Wednesday, there was some critique of Rayan Cherki's role: "I never saw [Lionel] Messi doing these kind of things," Guardiola said. "The biggest quality of Messi is the simplicity.
"The simple things he does perfectly. The big talent that Rayan is, he has to learn a lot of these things. But he's so young.
"I want players to do the simple things well and, after that, if you have special talent, he can do whatever he wants. But if it does not work, it will be a problem; he will be in trouble."
Is Pep's search for perfection realistic?
Analysis by Sky Sports' Laura Hunter at Etihad:
Arsenal were knocked off their perch at the top of the Premier League for the first time since September. But that is not enough for perfectionist Pep. He has never been a win-by-any-means manager. Performance matters.
The heat is certainly on the Gunners with Man City on a five-game winning streak in the league, scoring 18 times in the process, but Guardiola likes to analyse each game in intricate detail and he saw plenty that frustrated him. He referenced the Leeds result post-match, likening the situation after half-time to that game.
In late November Man City conceded twice to Leeds shortly after half-time before nicking a late winner. On this occasion they conceded chances but crucially not goals, needing three saves from Gianluigi Donnarumma. Against better finishers perhaps the outcome would have been different.
No observer of City this season believes them to be the finished article, least of all Pep. His demand for more control is probably fair and yet the graphic above will tell you how little they actually conceded.
As the fight for Christmas No 1 reaches its climax, more than anything, Pep's post-match declarations seemed to be a message to Arsenal: We will be better. And it can't hurt to keep his players grounded either. They are yet to put together what Pep would describe as a complete performance, but there's no doubt they are getting closer. Arsenal will be all too aware of that fact.
Nuno admits 'concern' as Hammers prepare for Christmas in drop zone
Nuno Espirito Santo admitted he is "concerned" about West Ham's position after their meek 3-0 loss at Man City consigned them to a Christmas in the Premier League relegation zone.
"We are concerned for the situation," Nuno said. "It requires a lot of improvement from ourselves.
"Of course I'm concerned. We started the game really badly, giving balls away blindly. Of course everything becomes harder when you concede so early.
"The first period of the game was really hard. Much improvement in the second half, a couple of situations that could have changed the game but we didn't start well, no.
"We are insisting, believing and working hard on the training ground. Everyone has to stay committed. That is the only way I know. The reality is that we have been punished."
