'He will be one of the best managers in the world' - Pep Guardiola anoints Premier League boss

Manchester City and Fulham meet on Wednesday for matchweek 26 of the Premier League, in a fixture recently dominated by Pep Guardiola's side.

The Citizens have won their last 19 matches in all competitions against Fulham, including 16 consecutive Premier League victories.

The dominance is not limited to the fixtures between the two clubs, but also extends to the head-to-head record between Guardiola and Portuguese coach Marco Silva.

Guardiola has emerged victorious in all 16 meetings between his teams and sides managed by Silva – 13 of them in Premier League matches (seven with Silva at Fulham, three at Everton, two at Watford and one at Hull City), one in the FA Cup (City vs Fulham) and two in the Champions League (Bayern Munich against Olympiacos in both).

Guardiola full of praise for Silva

But despite his dominance in these encounters, Guardiola was full of praise for the Portuguese manager and suggested Silva will become one of the best coaches in world football.

"Fulham improve every season. The movements, the patterns and the quality they have, the calmness with which they play and the speed they show. Marco [Silva] is one of the best managers I have faced. He is certainly destined to be one of the best in a few years," he said.

Guardiola dismissed rumours about his future should he fail to win the Premier League title. The manager stressed that he is not currently focused on doing the maths compared to rivals.

"Over the last weeks and months, every time I do an interview before a game, it is always: 'If you lose, you will lose everything and disappear from the face of the Earth.' I understand it is nice to talk about three points, four points, this kind of thing. That is okay, but we are not in a final phase or trying to get close to winning titles," he said.

City on alert this season

Despite trying to downplay major concerns, Manchester City have already sounded the alarm over their problems this season. Guardiola himself has admitted his team is facing "difficulties in many things."

Among these areas of concern is the fact that the English club struggle to react when control of a match slips away, losing emotional and tactical composure.

Another factor is the team's growing difficulty in controlling the tempo of matches, resulting in an even greater dependence on offensive efficiency.

Throughout the season, the pattern has repeated itself with missed chances against Chelsea, Sunderland and Brighton, which ended up costing points and increasing pressure. This also occurs when matches become more open and City need attackers other than Haaland to step up – something that has not been happening regularly.

Additionally, the Citizens also face an alarming situation and perhaps the main concern of the season: second-half collapses. Guardiola's side have already squandered nine second halves in the Premier League, with below-par performances after the interval.

The sum of these problems has left them in second place, six points behind Arsenal in the Premier League, eighth in the Champions League league phase – directly qualified for the last 16 – while also securing a place in the EFL Cup semi-finals and competing in the fourth round of the FA Cup.