Pep Guardiola outlines where Manchester City must improve to win Premier League title | OneFootball

Manchester City have significant room for improvement in the weeks and months to follow as they vie for a fifth Premier League title in six seasons, manager Pep Guardiola has admitted.

The Blues are in their best run of form in over a year as they prepare to take on reigning champions Liverpool at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday in the backdrop of 10 wins in 13 games in all competitions since September.

Guardiola’s side produced arguably their best attacking display of the season so far in midweek as goals from Erling Haaland, Rayan Cherki and a fantastic brace from Phil Foden helped Manchester City to a convincing 4-1 beating of Borussia Dortmund in the UEFA Champions League.

City can cut Arsenal’s lead at the top of the Premier League to four points with victory over Liverpool after Mikel Arteta’s side were held to an enthralling 2-2 draw by Sunderland at the Stadium of Light on Saturday.

However, Guardiola knows that Manchester City must keep both eyes fixed on themselves at a fairly nascent stage of the campaign, with the Blues having significant area to improve upon their current displays beyond the November international break.

Speaking in a press conference on Friday, Guardiola spoke candidly about where his side can improve as they look to dethrone Liverpool as champions and secure a ninth Premier League title in 15 years.

“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,” the 54-year-old explained ahead of Liverpool’s visit to the Etihad Stadium on Sunday. “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 (on Thursday), 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.”

City made a rocky start to the 2025-26 campaign underscored by back-to-back defeats to Liverpool and Brighton in August but the Blues have since gotten their act together and well and truly turned a corner to claw their way back into the title race conversation.