Pep Guardiola fires brutal spending dig at Man United, Chelsea and Arsenal as Man City eye history

In February time, Manchester City minds were focused on what they could achieve this season. Now, Pep Guardiola wants his players to make history and defy the lazy stereotypes he feels are being used to downplay their achievements.

Defending their treble from last season, City players had asked each other how they could possibly better their historic accomplishments from 2023/24. Some settled on the quadruple, but that dream was dashed early on in the Carabao Cup. The consolation of the Super Cup and Club World Cup made up for that, and while their Champions League defence was ended by Real Madrid last month, they are on track for another double.

Winning the Premier League would see the Blues become the first team to win four English top-flight titles in a row - a feat Guardiola was keen to emphasise when asked if making history was a motivator for himself and his players.

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"In the beginning of the season no, we didn't think about the four Premier Leagues," he admitted. "If we are in February, March, April, we are still there, that we can still do it, it ignites something in all our heads that says: 'guys, no team has done it, that shows you how hard it is'."

To make his point, Guardiola pointed to the great Liverpool and Manchester United sides, plus more recent eras of success at Chelsea and Arsenal. He said: "Liverpool in the 80s, Sir Alex Ferguson’s United in the 90s, Chelsea with [Roman] Abramovich and Jose [Mourinho] and Arsenal with [Arsene] Wenger didn’t do it so if it’s not been done, it’s difficult, it’s as simple as that."

Guardiola