Arsenal given fresh Premier League title boost as Man City are “not at the level required”

Pep Guardiola does not believe that his Manchester City side are at the required level to win the Premier League title this season, despite their strong run of form in recent weeks.

The Citizens have won 10 of their last 12 matches across all competitions (L2) and have scored at least two goals in all 10 of those victories, since suffering a slender 1-0 defeat at Aston Villa at the end of October.

City extended their winning run to six matches and progressed to the EFL Cup semi-finals with a 2-0 home win over Brentford on Wednesday night, shortly after claiming a statement 3-0 victory at Crystal Palace in the Premier League and a 2-1 Champions League win at Real Madrid.

After a turbulent and disappointing 2024-25 campaign that ended trophyless, many Man City fans were accepting that Guardiola’s new-look squad may struggle to sustain a genuine title challenge this term during a transitional year.

However, a surge in form has propelled the Citizens to within touching distance of their biggest rivals Arsenal, who are still considered by many as the favourites to win the Premier League despite showing some signs of vulnerability in recent weeks.

Man City “not at the level required” to win PL title, says Guardiola

Man City play host to relegation-threatened West Ham United on Saturday and victory would see them climb to the top of the table before Arsenal do battle with Everton on Merseyside in the Saturday evening kickoff.

Despite the growing belief from many at Man City and the possibility of being top of the table at Christmas, Guardiola still feels that there is room for improvement from his Citizens squad if they are to seriously mount a title challenge and compete for silverware on all fronts.

Speaking at a press conference on Friday, Guardiola said: "We have to do better. We have had good results, but we have a lot of things we have to do better.

"We are not in the position, with the way we have played, that we should be, but our mentality and commitment is incredible and that helps us to be there.

"We are still not at the level required to compete for the title, but the margin is there to improve and that is nice."

Are Man City capable of winning the PL title ahead of Arsenal?

One key area of improvement for Man City is in defence, as Guardiola’s backline has looked rather shaky for large spells of this season.

City let a two-goal lead slip against Leeds before winning 3-2 with a stoppage-time strike from Phil Foden, before nearly throwing away a four-goal lead in a thrilling 5-4 victory against Fulham at the beginning of December.

A run of three clean sheets in the Citizens’ last four games in all competitions will have encouraged Guardiola, but their 3-0 win at Palace last weekend was defined by City’s ruthlessness in the final third and Oliver Glasner’s side rueing several missed opportunities.

Scoring goals has not been an issue for Man City, though, as they have found the net more than any other team in the Premier League this term (38 goals), with 17 of those scored by leading marksman Erling Haaland, whose sensational scoring form could arguably be the difference for City in their quest to win the title.

In addition, the Citizens’ pedigree in hunting down title rivals means Guardiola’s men should still retain belief in another late surge during the second half of the campaign, so long as Arsenal remain within reach.