Pep Guardiola has issued a stark warning to his Manchester City players, demanding significant improvement despite watching them secure a fifth consecutive Premier League victory with a 3-0 win over West Ham United on Sunday 21 December 2025.
Guardiola's Title Challenge Warning
The City manager, while happy with the result, delivered a blunt assessment of his team's performance at the Etihad Stadium. He stated that the current level is insufficient to sustain a serious title challenge against rivals like Arsenal, whom they are chasing at the summit.
"I'm happy, I cannot deny that," Guardiola said, referencing their strong position in the Champions League and Carabao Cup semi-finals. "But the way we played with the ball we have to improve. Otherwise, it will not be enough to arrive in March and April to be contenders to win titles."
He emphasised his point directly to the squad: "Merry Christmas everyone but it will not be enough if we don't improve."
Haaland Shines in Comfortable Victory
The match itself was settled by the prolific Erling Haaland, who took his tally to an astonishing 38 goals for club and country this season. The Norwegian striker put City in control after just five minutes and later made the victory certain in the second half after setting up a goal for Tijjani Reijnders.
Guardiola acknowledged Haaland's contribution, along with those of Phil Foden and Nico O'Reilly, as key to the win. "I always have to thank Erling for the goals but today thanks to him and Phil and Nico O'Reilly they helped us to do this type of game," he said.
Concerns Amidst Control
Despite having control of the game, Guardiola was critical of his team's creativity and solidity. He pointed out that even when dominating possession in the first half, City were not in the right positions to create clear chances.
His concerns extended to the second period, where he felt the team's performance did not improve. "If they had scored to make it 2-1, West Ham would have made it 2-2," Guardiola cautioned, highlighting a perceived vulnerability.
On a positive note, he did concede that the team is defensively improving and "visualising it with the ball."
West Ham's Relegation Zone Christmas
For West Ham, the defeat extends their winless run to six matches, condemning them to spend the festive period in the Premier League's relegation zone. Manager Nuno Espirito Santo admitted his deep concern.
"We are concerned about the situation that we are in and mainly understand that requires a lot of improvement from ourselves," Santo said. He lamented a poor start, giving the ball away and conceding early, which made their task "really hard."
The result leaves Manchester City in a strong position in the table, but with a manager fiercely focused on raising standards to meet the demands of the title race in the new year.
