Guardiola: Arsenal’s Form Means Man City Must Stop Dropping Points

Pep Guardiola has delivered a stern warning to his Manchester City squad, insisting that they cannot afford any further slip-ups in the Premier League as Arsenal continue to set the pace.

Mikel Arteta’s side head into their clash with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge six points clear at the top of the table, while City sit a point behind Chelsea after suffering back-to-back defeats.

Arsenal’s momentum was further underlined in midweek when they produced a commanding 3-1 victory over Bayern Munich in the Champions League, a performance Guardiola described as ‘so solid.’

Speaking ahead of City’s home fixture against Leeds United, Guardiola admitted his team risk allowing Arsenal to build an unassailable lead.

‘We cannot lose games, absolutely, that is the truth,’ he said. ‘They are so strong and winning games in a way where they are so solid, like we had in the past with Liverpool against us. They are not going to drop many points. That’s why you have to be up there and this is what we will try to do.’

The City manager also reflected on his side’s disappointing 2-0 defeat to Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League, criticising the lack of effort from his players.

‘As a fan, I would not cheer my team, playing in the way we played,’ Guardiola admitted.

‘We didn’t try, and in football when you play on the green you have to try things. Maybe I rotated too much because it’s impossible to sustain, but I had confidence in them and I still do. Maybe I think higher of them than they think about themselves. It was a good lesson for me, even with all my experience as a manager.’