Pep Guardiola hints at new Man City target with Arsenal comment

If you'd told Manchester City at the beginning of the season that they would be two points behind Arsenal after 13 games they'd have taken it.

These two clubs have gone toe-to-toe over the last two campaigns and each time the Blues have hung on in there and reeled in the Gunners just in time for trophy season. After a difficult summer and the effort that went into winning a fourth Premier League title, staying close to their biggest threat would have seemed ideal for Pep Guardiola and his players.

Except football can often trip you up when you are least expecting it, and the top two from the last two years find themselves occupying two of the top five spots in the table but are both well adrift of leaders Liverpool; Arsenal trail by nine and City 11. If the Blues are considered out of the title race, Arsenal can't be far off.

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And yet they are among the closest challengers to Liverpool still. If anyone is going to stop an Arne Slot side that is threatening to run away with the league, Arsenal and City would still be the two that are the most heavily backed.

City are breaking all kinds of unwanted records as they fall freely with six defeats and one draw that felt like a defeat in their last seven games. Despite a tacit acceptance that there is no point trying to catch Liverpool after a 2-0 defeat at Anfield, Guardiola remained positive and used Arsenal to make his point.

"Our target cannot be talking about titles in November or December but we didn't do it when we were top of the league. At the end, we are not far away from Arsenal or teams there but Liverpool win