Coach Pep Guardiola sent a harsh message after Manchester City's 3-0 victory over West Ham United. However, the way he conveys that message is what makes Arsenal particularly concerned.
Guardiola has repeatedly stressed that Man City's performance is still "not good enough" and the team "needs to improve". However, the comfort in how he talks about it - from joking with reporters about the Christmas sweater to explaining the controversy with Josko Gvardiol revolving around "the beaches in Croatia" - shows a coach who is completely confident in the team's progress.
That confidence was clearly reflected on the pitch. After Erling Haaland's opening goal, Man City players celebrated with a robot dance, simulating Rayan Cherki's celebration a few days earlier. That is the image of a team that is finding cohesion and winning spirit.
3 consecutive victories against Crystal Palace, Brentford and West Ham in seven days, all of which were kept clean sheets, helped The Citizens extend their winning streak to 7 matches in all competitions. The last time they achieved this was at the end of the 2023-2024 season, the season they were crowned Premier League champions for the fourth consecutive time.
On the other hand, Arsenal will welcome Christmas at the top of the table after a narrow 1-0 win over Everton. However, coach Mikel Arteta knows that leading on 25 December is not very meaningful - something that happened in 2022 and 2023 before they were overtaken by Man City.
What worries The Gunners is that Guardiola, who has won 12 national championships in three different countries, seems to have recognized the familiar signs of a team ready to accelerate. "The spirit is back. Not beautiful plays, but internal strength" - the Spanish captain affirmed.
History supports that confidence. Since Guardiola arrived in Manchester in 2016, Man City have failed to win the Premier League just three times, and all three of those seasons have been left behind. In contrast, in 6 seasons crowned, City have shown almost absolute stability after Christmas.
From January 1 to the end of the season in six championship seasons, Man City have lost only 8 out of a total of 95 matches, many of which took place when the championship had been decided. In the 2019 and 2024 seasons, they were completely unbeaten in the sprint stage.
Of course, Man City currently does not have enough experienced pillars such as Kevin De Bruyne, Ilkay Gundogan, Kyle Walker or Ederson. Rodri, John Stones and Mateo Kovacic are also having physical problems. And Guardiola called it "a small transition period".
Therefore, the big matches ahead - from the Champions League against Real Madrid to the Carabao Cup semi-finals against Newcastle United - are considered a test to determine whether Man City is just a strong team, or still a familiar championship machine.
Guardiola is not in a hurry. Keeping Man City in the race when the new season is more than halfway is what he wants. And like a warning sent to his players after the win over West Ham, the warning bells are now ringing higher on Arsenal's side.
