'No chance' - Guardiola rules Man City out of title race

Pep Guardiola says there is "no chance" of Manchester City winning the Premier League title this season. 

Man City won 2-0 at Leicester City on Sunday, just their second win in 14 matches in all competitions. They are fifth in the Premier League table, 14 points behind leaders Liverpool. 

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"Hopefully the new year can help us bounce back," Guardiola said in his post-match press conference. "It is not enjoyable right now, it is just relief. We have done incredible things for many years. It is not the best."

To BBC Match of the Day he added: "We are far away from winning the Premier League. We accept there's already no chance of that but we have other things to fight for: FA Cup, top four... and winning games helps."

Premier League

Position Pos	Club	Played Pl	GD	Points Pts
1	Liverpool LIV	18	+28	45
2	Arsenal ARS	19	+19	37
3	Nott'm Forest NFO	19	+7	37
4	Chelsea CHE	19	+15	35
5	Newcastle NEW	19	+11	32
6	Man City MCI	19	+6	31

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Guardiola also says Man City need reinforcements when the January transfer window opens on Wednesday.

"In some positions we need help," Guardiola added. "When we're all together we're the team we were but with important players out for weeks and months it's so difficult.

"I thought central defenders would be fit all season but we have struggled - holding midfield and central defenders we need help.

"The market is the market - it's not easy, it's expensive so we will see what the club can do."

Pep on reaching 500 matches 

The win at Leicester was Guardiola's 500th match in all competitions as manager of Man City. He says he could cry with pride at reaching the milestone. 

“Yeah definitely [proud]," Guardiola said.

"It is better to celebrate it with a victory and the new year. I am so proud. I would cry now. I’m so proud to be a part of this club. Today when they tell me, 'You are going to do 500 games," I said 'Wow.'

“But we are judged in the last 13. Look, in the other 480 games they have been an incredible period and yeah, more to come."

Guardiola's incredible record at Man City

While Guardiola's side have now won only two of their last 10 Premier League matches, Guardiola's incredible record since joining Man City cannot be ignored. 

Guardiola is the first manager to take charge of a Premier League club 500 times in all competitions since David Moyes reached that landmark for Everton in January 2013.

Having joined Man City in the summer of 2016, he is the Premier League's longest-serving active manager, ahead of Brentford's Thomas Frank by two years. 

If you create a Premier League table starting when Guardiola joined Man City, his team would rank first with a whopping 45 points more than any other team. 

Guardiola's team have also scored 83 more goals than the next-best team (Liverpool) since his arrival at Man City.

PL table since Guardiola's arrival

Man City have won the title in six of eight seasons since Guardiola's arrival. Last season they became the first team in history to win four consecutive Premier League titles. 

In 2022/23 City won the Treble, becoming the first team since Manchester United in 1998/99 to lift the Premier League, UEFA Champions League and FA Cup in the same season. 

Only the league's most decorated manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, has won more Premier League titles (13) than Guardiola's six.

Man City's upcoming matches

Manchester City

15:00 Sat 04 Jan WHU (H) 19:30 Tue 14 Jan BRE (A) 16:30 Sun 19 Jan IPS (A) 17:30 Sat 25 Jan CHE (H) 16:30 Sun 02 Feb ARS (A)

Manchester City

15:00 Sat 04 Jan WHU (H) 19:30 Tue 14 Jan BRE (A) 16:30 Sun 19 Jan IPS (A) 17:30 Sat 25 Jan CHE (H) 16:30 Sun 02 Feb ARS (A)