Pep Guardiola has said Manchester City are currently not at the level required to win the Premier League title.
Man City can go top of the Premier League, albeit potentially just for a few hours, with victory over West Ham at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday.
Regardless of the outcome in Manchester, Arsenal will have the chance to respond in their evening kick-off away at Everton, knowing a win will guarantee top spot at Christmas.
Should City, who have never lost to the Hammers in the league under Guardiola, claim all three points it will be their fifth league win in a row and seventh across all competitions.
Despite the consistency of results, the Spaniard still has concerns with how his side are performing in general and believes there is still room for improvement.
“We have results but a lot of things we have to do better,” the Spaniard said in the pre-match press conference on Friday. “It helps for the fact that the mentality and commitment are incredible.
“We are not at the level required to win the title but the margin is there to improve.”
To Guardiola’s point, City have looked rather shaky defensively during his run. While they beat Crystal Palace 3-0 last weekend, it was a case of being more ruthless than Oliver Glasner’s side who couldn’t make the most of their chances.
Furthermore, City let a two-goal lead slip against Leeds before winning 3-2 before nearly throwing away a four-goal lead in a nine-goal thriller against Fulham at the beginning of the month.
That said, Guardiola’s side do have the experience of coming from behind in title races and have every right to feel they can reclaim their crown as long as they stay within touching distance of the Gunners.
