Pep Guardiola has revealed how his drive for perfection at Manchester City has been fuelled by the desire to bring the Premier League’s old guard to their knees.
Guardiola has come out swinging at the biggest names in English football after the champions embarked on another legal battle to prove they have adhered to Financial Fair Play regulations, just two years after UEFA failed to make a similar charge stick.
He believes the battle for City’s future is steeped in history - and that the fight is comparable to the way Barcelona had to defeat the Spanish establishment as well as Real Madrid during his years in charge of the Catalans.
Guardiola has set new standards in the Premier League to win four of the last five titles. And he said: “Always I had the feeling when we arrived here, that playing good is not enough to win.
“We have to always play much, much better. To beat the established clubs you have to do it perfectly. In equal situations, we do not have history. We are not part of the hierarchy of the Premier League.
‘I said the same in Barcelona. When I arrived as manager I said ‘to beat Madrid you can’t just do things better. You have to do it much, much better or otherwise you don’t beat Madrid.’
“So you have to make 100 points, 99 points, 97 points to win the Premier League. With 80 points, you don’t win.
“So we have raised the bar. We won because we did things perfectly.
“That is my feeling. We always have to work to do it better and better and better - otherwise we have no chance.”
When City last faced Aston Villa in May, it ended in tears of joy for Guardiola after seeing his side come from two goals down to win 3-2 and once again beat Liverpool to the title.
It was the sixth time City had been crowned champions since Sheikh Mansour’s takeover in 2009 transformed the Premier League landscape. And on every occasion, the team finishing second has been from either Anfield or Old Trafford.
City’s bid for a third successive title is being severely challenged this season by Arsenal. Guardiola insists he will be the first to congratulate former assistant Mikel Arteta if his Gunners team can stay in top spot.
And the Catalan has also promised to stay at the Etihad despite the threat of sanctions that include relegation from the Premier League and even expulsion from the EFL. Guardiola said: “If they (City) want me here, I will be here.
“If the results are not good, they will put me out because it is a business where you have to win. But if they want me I will not let them down - and my players, too.
“I want to defend my title until it's not possible. Will it be enough?
“If it's not enough, if another team, say Arsenal, go on to win I will be the first to call Mikel and say ‘congratulations Mikel, you deserve it'. But I want to fight it.”
