Pep Guardiola Getty Images January 23, 2026, 3:25 p.m

Pep Guardiola was full of praise for London’s Arsenal in his pre-match press conference, in fact admitting that it will be more difficult than ever to catch Mikel Arteta’s side this season.

Commenting on the championship race, the Catalan coach did not hesitate to give the palm of the championship to the Londoners. “Absolutely. They are the best team in the world right now. Look at the Premier League, look at the Champions League, the FA Cup, the League Cup. They are the best team right now,” Guardiola stressed.

Despite the lag, the coach of the townspeople does not lose hope: “I hope we can be close, play better and better, and they will give us one chance to catch up with them,” said Pep.

Guardiola has officially confirmed that winter signing Mark Gehi will make his Manchester City debut this weekend. “Considering the lack of centre-backs, it’s really good,” said Pep, adding that the England international’s experience is exceptional, although one player will not solve all the problems.

The situation with other players remains difficult: Mateus Nunes: questionable due to virus. Nico Gonzalez: Likely to miss the game. Rodri: The coach urged him to give him time after 11 months without football, insisting the Spaniard remains the best in his position.

Guardiola also touched on the topic of the unstable results of the team (in particular, in the Champions League, where he called 13 points a disaster by City’s standards). The coach assured that he knows 100 percent what happened to the team and has a clear plan to get out of the crisis.

Pep also defended Erling Holland after the loss to Bude/Glimt, saying that the Norwegian does not need to apologize for the result, because the responsibility lies with the whole team.

Manchester City will face Premier League underdogs Wolverhampton this weekend. The game is scheduled for January 24, kick-off at 17:00.