Pep Guardiola's Man City warning should strike fear into Arsenal and Liverpool FC in title race

If the secret to winning five titles in 2023 was a warm-weather training camp with just two first-team regulars, what could Manchester City achieve in 2024 with a full squad heading to Abu Dhabi?

Last winter, Pep Guardiola took a squad made up of mostly academy players to Abu Dhabi while the majority of his first-teamers were at the World Cup. Only Erling Haaland and Riyad Mahrez could claim to be senior players, with Sergio Gomez and Scott Carson the other two players in the squad who weren't from the academy.

"Last season we were there during the World Cup, incredible impact for the staff and everyone," said Guardiola this weekend. "The five titles prove it."

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City are planning a warm weather camp this year with the full squad, in Abu Dhabi again, during their designated winter break later in January, when they have two weeks between the trip to Newcastle and a likely FA Cup fourth round tie.

Guardiola will expect to have Kevin De Bruyne, Erling Haaland, Jeremy Doku and maybe John Stones back towards the end of January, noting the easier schedule at the start of 2024 as a benefit to work with his players and ease his injured contingent back into action.

"We go there to training, better weather, be together, training to prepare for the second part of the season," he said after City ended 2023 unbeaten at home.

As well as taking six points from six across the Christmas period, City have gained six points on a faltering Arsenal who followed defeat at West Ham with defeat at Fulham on New Year's Eve. They haven't won in