Pep Guardiola makes Man City admission despite big win over West Ham

Evening Standard

·4 January 2025

Pep Guardiola makes Man City admission despite big win over West Ham

Savinho stars as Erling Haaland bags brace in 4-1 victory

Pep Guardiola has insisted two wins in as many games does not mean the old Manchester City are back.

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The defending champions endured a torrid run over the autumn and the festive period, winning just one game in 13 before defeating Leicester City last Sunday.

They made it back-to-back victories on Saturday with a 4-1 win over West Ham in which striker Erling Haaland netted twice, but Guardiola was left frustrated by his side’s performance despite them registering their biggest Premier League win since beating Ipswich Town by the same scoreline back in August.

Guardiola was asked whether ‘the old Manchester City’ are back following successive wins, but he replied: “No! You judge the results.

“We saw in eight or nine years our level, and that was not our level. We won and we are so happy, but the performance was not good.

“You cannot ask me if Manchester City it back, because if you saw the game, we’re not.”

The 53-year-old qualified what he meant by adding: “I am happy, of course. I will sleep better until the next game in the FA Cup, but you [must] know we’re not at the level we were at for many years.

“We still have to find our tempo and the way we want to play. West Ham played good and had chances.

“If you ask me if the team is playing like it did in the last years, I say no. But of course, the result will help us. We will improve, absolutely.”