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Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola was not impressed with the performance of his team in their 3-0 win over West Ham
Pep Guardiola said Manchester City have to improve if they want to win anything this season after being left unhappy by the performance that took them top of the Premier League. A 3-0 win over West Ham looked comfortable enough as a scoreline but Guardiola vented after the game that they can forget about silverware if they do not play better with the ball.
Erling Haaland gave City the lead after just five minutes and Tijjani Reijnders put the Blues 2-0 up before the half-time whistle. However, West Ham had a number of chances to get back into the game before Haaland added a second with help from some comical defending from the visitors to wrap up the three points.
Guardiola prepares for a Christmas break delighted with the position that City have worked their way into, but concerned about the improvements that are still needed. He shared those feelings with the players after the match in a dressing room dressing down that wasn't exactly full of festive cheer.
"I always have to thank Erling for the goals but today thanks to him and Phil [Foden] and Nico O'Reilly they helped us a lot to do this type of game. Defensively we are improving. We are visualising it with the ball," he said.
"The way you attack depends on how the opponents defend and you have to be in the right spots and positions to be more fluid and we were not. I'm happy, we are fourth in the Champions League and semi-finals of the Carabao Cup 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. I want to be honest with myself, I said to the players, Merry Christmas for everyone but it will not be enough if we don't improve. It will not improve."
City have worked their way back into the title race after a ropey start to their season and are the team with the momentum given this was their seventh win in a row in all competitions and Arsenal have faltered lately. Guardiola is seeing qualities in his team that can make them title winners but needs more if they are to realise that potential.
"We will be there," he added. "If they follow me we will be there but we have to improve. I know the level in Europe, in the Premier League, I know Arsenal and the other teams and how tough they are, it is not enough. The spirit is there, last season we did not have the spirit or aggression or hunger - all the attributes they need.
"It is not about the highlights and how good the actions are, there is something that comes from inside where we will recover from the Club World Cup. The next step is hopefully to have Rodri back and we have to do many things better. You cannot forget Jeremy [Doku], [Mateo] Kovacic, Rodri, Omar Marmoush are not here. Rayan Ait-Nouri is not here but we need him because Nico O'Reilly cannot play 90 minutes every game in his role.
"We had four or five players from the academy on the bench. Don't misunderstand me, I am delighted, happy and these guys are top, they follow us and give their life, but if they want to reach the next step, if they play in a diamond like today or five at the back or four, there are spaces in different ways and you have to be in the right spots. The positional game will define the team. Today it was not good."
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