Pep Guardiola has urged his Manchester City side to win convincingly to avoid the title race being decided by VAR controversies. The City manager remains aggrieved by decisions in the FA Cup final defeats of 2024 and 2025, but insists the best way to avoid such issues is to perform better.
Speaking ahead of Wednesday's Premier League clash with Crystal Palace, Guardiola said: 'We lost the two finals of the FA Cup because the referees didn’t do their jobs they should do, even the VAR. When this happens it is because we have to do better, not the referees or VAR.'
The issue has resurfaced after West Ham were denied a stoppage-time equaliser against Arsenal following a lengthy VAR check, a decision with major implications at both ends of the table. Guardiola, however, wants his players to take VAR out of the equation by playing well enough to remove doubt.
'I never trust anything since I arrived a long time ago. Always I learned you have to do it better, do it better, be in a position to do it better because you blame yourself with what you have to do, because (VAR) is a flip of a coin,' he added.
City host Palace needing a victory to cut Arsenal's lead at the top to two points. Guardiola stressed the importance of focus: 'The only thing we can do is do it better, that is only in your control.'
