Manchester City head coach Pep Guardiola has dismissed allegations that the club’s success is “boring” and down to the money they have spent.
The Premier League champions are on the verge of winning the title for the fourth consecutive season but have come under fire from fans and pundits for their constant domination in the top flight.
Read our other stories here:
Emery dedicates Aston Villa comeback against Liverpool to fans
Adam Lallana to leave Brighton at the end of the season
Iraola signs new Bournemouth deal
Guardiola’s side have won the last four games with an aggregate score of 15-1, closing the gap in goal difference to Arsenal and extending their unbeaten run to 21 games.
Should they win the title and FA Cup by the end of the month, they will become the first English club to do the domestic and cup double in successive seasons.
Although they have a reputation for spending big on players such as Jack Grealish, Josko Gvardiol and Ruben Dias, the reality is that they do not fork out as much as their rivals.
City’s net spend in the last five years ranks them seventh in the division, behind Arsenal, Manchester United, Chelsea, Tottenham, Newcastle and Aston Villa.
This is down to their ability to offload players as well as buy them, with Gabriel Jesus, Riyad Mahrez and Cole Palmer just a few names that have departed for sizeable fees in recent years.
🔵❗️ Pep Guardiola: “You say it’s all about the money? Man United, Chelsea, Arsenal… they should have been there”.pic.twitter.com/aB9e1qEN5q
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) May 14, 2024
Pep talk
Speaking ahead of the trip to Tottenham, Guardiola said: “It’s not boring. It’s difficult.
“Before it was the money. For that reason, Manchester United should have won all the titles, Chelsea – all the titles, Arsenal – all the titles.
“They spend as much money in the last five years as us. They should be there. They are not there.
“For that reason Girona shouldn’t be in the Champions League [next season] and Leicester should win the Premier League.”
City are closing in on becoming the first side to win four top-flight titles in a row since the division was created in 1888.
Guardiola admits it is not something he thought about at the start of the campaign but now understands the achievement ahead of the final weekend.
He added: “In the beginning of the season we didn’t think about it.
“But then we were in February, March and April, we were still there. After that it ignites something in all our heads.
“No team has done it. That shows how hard it is. Liverpool in the ’80s, Sir Alex Ferguson’s United in the ’90s. Chelsea with [Roman] Abramovich and Jose [Mourinho], Arsenal with [Arsene] Wenger didn’t do it.”
