'Arsenal are not the champions': Pep Guardiola sends message to Mikel Arteta as Man City cut the gap | OneFootball

Man City are the Gunners’ sole title rivals

The win sees City move up to second with a fifth league win in six, suggesting they are back in the mix after finishing 13 points behind Liverpool last term.

"I said to the players, 'Don't do it because yesterday Arsenal didn't win, do it because we believe in ourselves that we can play against the champions of England and show they we are ready to be there with him this season'," Guardiola said.

"Today we proved it, we did it - especially in the first half."

Arsenal are heavy favourites to end their long trophy drought with the league crown this season, but Guardiola had a message for the Gunners as the league heads into the international break.

"I think we are learning to play better in different ways and still I have the feeling that defensively we are not, like I’m dreaming of," Guardiola said. "We concede a few chances or goals, so we are in Premier League less than zero plus seven, six goals, so it’s fine.

"Of course we cannot compare ourselves, they [Arsenal] are unbelievable. I think we are learning to play better against different shapes, man-marking or low blocks or deep that at the beginning we struggled a little bit to read exactly what we had to do. And like I said one month ago, I have the feeling that we are getting better.

"I said yesterday, the big teams, when you win, from my experience, when you arrive at the end of April, May, to win the titles is how much you grew up from September, October and every month. The teams who win are the teams who grow. And that I had a feeling that we are getting better.

"That means you are not going to set back in some games? Yeah, it can happen. But if we are consistent in the way we defend and the way we play and read a little bit better. After that it’s just body language, just passion and being to do it.

"On Sunday we play against, right now, the champions. Arsenal is not the champion, the champion is Liverpool. They come here to defend the title. We experienced that. And it’s a chance to prove ourselves against the last champions of the Premier League, what is our level, and I’m so excited to play."