Pep Guardiola: 'Beating Arsenal at this moment is extremely difficult, but ...'

Manager Pep Guardiola shared noteworthy comments following Manchester City's 3-0 victory over Chelsea, while directing focus towards the upcoming clash with Arsenal in the Premier League title race.

Manchester City now hold control over their title destiny after a convincing win at Stamford Bridge, thanks to goals from Nico O’Reilly, Jeremy Doku, and Marc Guehi. Pep Guardiola's team currently trails Arsenal by 6 points but has played one fewer game, and the two sides will face each directly in round 33.

Speaking after the match, Pep Guardiola assessed his team's performance: "We played much better in the second half. The first half wasn't bad but still didn't meet expectations. Our attack was fairly stable on the left flank, but lacked threat on the right."

When asked about Rayan Cherki's performance, the Spanish strategist said: "Jeremy (Doku) on the right wing is an excellent attacking player. With Rayan, sometimes he plays too close to Donnarumma. His talent needs to be utilized in the final third of the pitch. Stay near Haaland and the wing players, we will deliver the ball there. He is still very young and in his first Premier League season, but is already an excellent player with a constant desire to improve."

Pep Guardiola also spoke about Manchester City's current strength compared to previous championship seasons: "The past is special, but we are progressing. The team is fresher as we are not playing in the Champions League. Everyone understands their responsibilities clearly. We have faced three Champions League teams and performed well enough, not necessarily perfect for 90 minutes but sufficiently solid and able to create danger."

He also candidly admitted that Manchester City's style of play might not appeal to everyone: "Our team can be seen as quite boring, I know that. The formation can change, but the goal is to create problems for opponents and deploy long passes when needed. That's an idea that has been maintained for many years."

Speaking about the title race and the upcoming match against Arsenal, Pep Guardiola particularly expressed respect for the opponent: "This week's question is that we will face a team that has lost only 3 out of 49 matches, and has lost just one in the Champions League. In matches like this, no one dares to bet that we are superior to them."

He emphasized further: "The respect I have for Arsenal over the past three years is immense. This will be the greatest psychological challenge. We might adjust a few things, and they will too. Arsenal is currently the best team in Europe. Defeating them once is already very difficult, let alone twice within a few weeks."

Finally, Pep Guardiola sent a message to the fans: "I want the fans to respect Arsenal and support us from the very first minute. The players will give their utmost, and we will strive."