Guardiola on catching Arsenal in second, De Bruyne’s importance and Haaland’s return to squad after Man City beat Wolves | OneFootball

Pep Guardiola refused to entertain any talk of his Man City side overtaking Arsenal and clinching second in the Premier League this season.

Kevin De Bruyne scored the only goal of the game as City secured a crucial 1-0 win over Wolves to boost their hopes of qualifying for next season’s Champions League.

The win means City have moved just three points behind the Gunners, ahead of their game against Bournemouth on Saturday.

But even with the distraction of a Champions League semi-final, Guardiola did not appear to have much faith of catching Mikel Arteta’s side.

Shaking his head, he said: “They have a game in hand. This is not the target.

“(The target is) qualification for the Champions League and the FA Cup final.”

Guardiola also again hailed the decisive De Bruyne for his impact of late, with the legendary City midfielder set to leave the club after ten years at the end of this season.

“There’s players like Sergio (Aguero) and Kevin that are in the heart of the people,” he said. It’s not just the titles and the numbers. It’s the contribution in terms of love and affection and passion.

“All of us have been one decade here. He helped us to win absolutely everything and he’s still here.”

Asked if he is playing with a point to prove that he can still play at this level, Guardiola responded: “He doesn’t have to prove anything. Anything. I know his quality, his level and everything.”

Another positive for City was Erling Haaland’s return to the substitutes’ bench following an ankle injury, though the forward did not get on the pitch against Wolves.

Asked if he could have played, Guardiola said: “I was thinking (about it) but he had just two training sessions with us and in that moment I decided for the other types of players.”