"If they follow me, we will be there" - Pep Guardiola sends message to rivals when asked about Manchester City's title credentials

Pep Guardiola has affirmed that Manchester City are in the title race, while suggesting that they need to ‘improve’ if they are to put up a fight. The Citizens made light work of West Ham in a 3-0 win at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday.

Speaking after the match, Guardiola stressed that if his players take on his message and advice, it would translate into a successful season. When asked about Manchester City’s chances for the Premier League title, the Spanish tactician said:

“We will be there. If they follow me, we will be there, but we have to improve. I know the level, but it’s not enough. The spirit, the aggression, the hunger is there. All the attributes they need that is not highlights. Many things, we have to do better.

City were without some key players for the West Ham clash, with Rodri and Jeremy Doku amond those sidelined. Guardiola added:

“We have to remember that Rodri, Omar, Jeremy, Kova, Rayan Ait-Nouri are not here. We had five players from the Academy on the bench today. I am happy they follow us but if we want to reach the next step, we can find the spaces and we have to be the right spots that define the team.”

Manchester City initially leapfrogged Arsenal to the top of the table after their win over West Ham. However, Arsenal’s narrow 1-0 win over Everton later in the day meant City dropped back to second and now sit two points behind the Gunners heading into Christmas.

Tijjani Reijnders urges Manchester City to ‘keep the pressure on Arsenal’ in title race

Manchester City midfielder Tijjani Reijnders urged the club to keep Arsenal on their toes after their convincing win over the Hammers. The Dutchman scored City’s second on either side of an Erling Haaland brace to maintain a seven-game winning streak across all competitions.

Speaking after the game, Rijnders told Sky Sports:

“We had to keep confidence and you want to win every game but with the right confidence and mentality, you can do it. It shows how much quality we have and how much we have grown as a team. It's a good job from us and we have to keep going. “We have to see. We will keep the pressure on them [Arsenal]. They are above us, not now but before, we have to keep the pressure on. We all have to do that. We have to show each game that we have the quality and play without fear. We did that very well today.”

The goal marked Reijnders’ first at the Etihad Stadium and his third for the Cityzens this season.

Edited by Ezekiel Olamide