Arsenal may not get a better chance to win the Premier League than this season, former boss Arsene Wenger has warned ahead of Wednesday's game with Manchester City.

Wenger managed Arsenal to three Premier League titles, but the Gunners have not finished top of the pile in England since the last of those triumphs in the 2003-04 campaign.

However, with Mikel Arteta now at the helm, the London side are three points clear of second-placed City with a game in hand heading into their meeting at Emirates Stadium.

Arsenal have stuttered of late, taking just one point from their past two matches, and legendary former manager Wenger has urged them not to let the opportunity pass them by.

"You win [the title] when you can win it and you don't care too much about the rest. You take the title and let the rest talk about it," he told beIN SPORTS. 

"I agree the conditions next season won't be as favourable as they are now so let's not miss this opportunity. Arsenal have 51 points after 21 games, which is remarkable. 

"I feel the usual threats are all out of the race. The only threat is City and even City are now not as dominant as they were last year or two years before."

Wenger stepped down as Arsenal manager in May 2018 after 22 years in the job, during which time he won 10 major honours.

The Frenchman made his first return to Emirates Stadium for Arsenal's 3-1 win over West Ham on Boxing Day, but he had mixed emotions after spending so long at the club.

"I wanted to take my family there and I think it's the end of the chapter. I was happy to see the players in the dressing room after," he said. 

"It was mixed feelings. I sweated to [build] this stadium for 10 or 12 years, every penny. It was a good feeling to see what it is now with the crowd happy the team is doing well. 

"Part of your life is over forever so it was mixed feelings. I felt at the start it was good to take a distance and not sit there straight away and be a weight for the guy who is there. 

"Today it's all different and I thought it was the right moment. The timing was a fraction late, but it was good around Christmas as well so it was nice.

"I like what I saw and I like what I felt in the dressing room. The team spirit is great, the humility and hunger of the youngsters is absolutely amazing. They're humble and hungry."

Arsenal have lost their past 10 Premier League games against City, their longest losing run against an opponent in their league history.

Joao Felix has had a mixed start to his loan spell at Chelsea, but the Premier League club are eager to make his stay permanent.

The 23-year-old Portugal forward joined Chelsea on loan from Atletico Madrid in January, getting sent off on debut before scoring on his Premier League return against West Ham on Saturday.

Felix signed for Atletico from Benfica in 2019 on a seven-year contract for a transfer fee of €126 million and extended his deal until 2027 prior to the move to Stamford Bridge.


TOP STORY – CHELSEA WANT PERMANENT JOAO FELIX STAY

Chelsea want to make Joao Felix's stay at Stamford Bridge permanent, according to Relevo.

The Portuguese is on loan with the Blues for the rest of the season from Atletico Madrid, with Chelsea willing to pay €100 million (£88.3m) for his services.

The Spaniards were originally asking for more, believed to be around €130m-140m (£115m-£124m) but may be willing to accept a reduced fee.

Meanwhile, Christian Pulisic could be heading in the opposition direction with Atletico considering a cut-price bid for Chelsea's United States international, according to Fichajes.

 

ROUND-UP

- Real Madrid are monitoring Tottenham forward Richarlison and Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic, reports ESPN. Los Blancos are looking for long-term replacements for 35-year-old Karim Benzema.

- Neymar's future at Paris Saint-Germain is uncertain with the French champions to place him on their transfer list in the upcoming off-season, claims Foot Mercato. PSG paid a staggering €222m for Neymar in 2017 but are set to move on.

- Chelsea's pursuit of West Ham midfielder Declan Rice could lead them to sell Conor Gallagher and Ruben Loftus-Cheek to raise funds for the deal, claims Football Insider.

- Barcelona have reached a verbal agreement with Eintracht Frankfurt centre-back Evan Ndicka for a free transfer at the end of this season, claims German journalist Christopher Michel.

- Bayern Munich want to sign Manchester City full-back Joao Cancelo for a reduced fee, rather than trigger the €70 million buy option, reports 90min. The report claims a fee around €60m is more realistic.

Real Madrid are eager to bolster their forward options, with a quality striker wanted to deputise for Karim Benzema.

Benzema, who is now 35-years-old, has battled injuries this season and played in 12 of their 20 LaLiga games.

Los Blancos have been regularly linked with Paris Saint-Germain star Kylian Mbappe, while there have been reports of a big-money bid for Eintracht Frankfurt's Randal Kolo Muani in recent days.

Instead of signing another French forward though, there is a report that Madrid are eyeing up a Brazilian.


TOP STORY – ANCELOTTI WANTS FIRMINO

Real Madrid want to sign Liverpool forward Roberto Firmino on a free transfer at the end of this season, claims Gazzetta dello Sport.

Liverpool are bullish on re-signing Firmino but no extension has yet been agreed, with his contract due to expire in June.

According to the report, Atletico Madrid and Inter are also interested in the 31-year-old, who has been battling a calf injury in recent months.

 

ROUND-UP

- Barcelona president Joan Laporta is determined to sign Julian Alvarez from Manchester City, reports Fichajes. The report claims "Laporta will do everything in his power" to land the Argentinean World Cup winner.

- Manchester City are monitoring Southampton full-back Tino Livramento, claims the Evening Standard. The English 20-year-old is viewed as a long-term successor to Joao Cancelo, who is currently on loan at Bayern Munich.

- Tuttomercatoweb reports that Bayer Leverkusen will compete with Juventus to sign Alex Grimaldo from Benfica. The Bianconeri want the left-back as a replacement for the departing Alex Sandro.

- Chelsea have joined the contenders to sign Brentford goalkeeper David Raya, writes Football.London. Raya's contract expires in 2024, with interest also from Tottenham and Manchester United too.

- West Ham United are circling for Brazil international striker Pedro, who plays for Flamengo, according to Fichajes.

- Former Leeds United manager Jesse Marsch is being considered for the vacant Southampton job following Nathan Jones' dismissal, claims The Athletic. Football Insider reports Southampton and Leeds both want Marcelo Gallardo, while the Mail adds that Saints are also interested in Torino boss Ivan Juric.

Pep Guardiola is unsure on the severity of Erling Haaland's injury ahead of Manchester City's crucial clash with Arsenal.

City got back to winning ways with a 3-1 victory over Aston Villa at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday.

With Arsenal having dropped points against Brentford on Saturday, a win at Emirates Stadium on Wednesday would see City move top of the Premier League, albeit the Gunners would still have a game in hand.

Yet Haaland's status for that game is unclear after the striker, who assisted Ilkay Gundogan for City's second goal, went off at half-time against Villa with a knock.

"I don't know, he had a big knock, he was uncomfortable," Guardiola, who was managing his 250th Premier League game, told Sky Sports when asked about Haaland.

"At 3-0 we didn't want to take a big risk. We will see, we will assess in the next days.

"If he's not ready, we;ll play another one. Hopefully he's ready, like everyone. We'll see what it is."

Haaland cut a frustrated figure against Tottenham last week but was more involved against Villa, with his team-mates seemingly quicker to attempt to find their star striker, who now has 29 goal contributions in the Premier League this season, 11 more than any other player in the competition.

"His presence is really good," added Guardiola. "When we have no pressure on the ball, when the opponent has a high line, we will be able to find him even more. We will do it in the future."

Haaland might have got on the scoresheet had Riyad Mahrez, who teed up Rodri's opener, not taken the ball for the penalty for City's third goal.

The former Borussia Dortmund striker seemed perplexed, but nevertheless celebrated with Mahrez after the winger slammed home the spot-kick.

Asked for his view on the incident, Guardiola said: "I don't know, I need to talk to them. Normally Erling is the first taker, Riyad is the second one – Rodri was involved. We will see what they say."

While City could be top of the table by full-time on Wednesday, Guardiola is just glad his side have managed to keep themselves within touching distance, having failed to take advantage when Arsenal lost to Everton last week.

"They have one game in hand. Last season, we had 12, 14 points in front of Liverpool but they had two or three games in hand," Guardiola said.

"We will see when the Premier League is finished. We will go to London to try and win the game.

"When one team has 50 points it is because they are doing really, really well. Finally, when they dropped points we were there to reduce the difference.

"In the past all the time when they dropped points we failed. Finally we could do it. Mainly because the performance was really good."

While all three of City's goals came before the break, Guardiola was happier with his team's second-half display, despite Ollie Watkins scoring a consolation for Villa.

Sunday's match came against the backdrop of City having been accused of breaching over 100 of the Premier League's financial regulations between 2009 and 2018, something the club has denied.

The home crowd jeered the Premier League anthem ahead of kick-off, and Guardiola was delighted with the atmosphere.

"The support was really good before," he added.

"I know they know our team score goals, we had many chances, unfortunately we could not always finish it. In general, a really good game."

Rodri said Manchester City did their talking on the pitch as they bounced back from a troubling week by beating Aston Villa.

City won 3-1 on Sunday at the Etihad Stadium – where the Premier League anthem was booed by home fans prior to kick-off – to move within three points of leaders Arsenal ahead of Wednesday's crunch clash in north London.

Rodri opened the scoring in the fourth minute, with Ilkay Gundogan and Riyad Mahrez putting City into a deserved 3-0 lead by the break.

Ollie Watkins pulled one back for Villa on his 100th appearance for the club, and although Jhon Duran hit the crossbar late on, City were comfortable enough as they made something of a statement after the Premier League accused them over 100 alleged breaches of financial regulations between 2009 and 2018.

"We just talk about football, we talk on the pitch," Rodri told BBC Sport when asked about the off-field furore surrounding City.

"What happens off the pitch is not our business."

City can move top of the Premier League with a win over Arsenal on Wednesday after the Gunners took just one point from their past two games against Everton and Brentford.

"We have the chance to go top," Rodri added. "Go there and show our personality, the team that we are.

"They are playing at an incredible level and we have an incredible level too. It is going to be an incredible fight and an incredible battle and we have the chance to be on top of the table, so that's what we have to think."

Rodri had a difficult game in the 1-0 defeat at Tottenham last week, but the midfielder was back at his best on Sunday.

The Spain international had three shots, got two on target, and created four chances for team-mates, while topping the game for touches (112) and aerial duels won (five).

"Important game for me. It's always part of the game when you fail, when you miss," Rodri said. 

"I was a bit upset last week but of course. I think the best players are the ones who come back easily.

"Today the team was great, even though I scored the first goal. It was important for me, for the mood of the team.

"Here in the Etihad when we can score in the first 15 minutes, it is a different game for us.

"The crowd was amazing, the environment was great. That's what we need. Sometimes the coach speaks about this. We need the [fans] in every game here."

Villa boss Unai Emery, meanwhile, rued sloppy mistakes from his team in the first half.

"We knew this would be a tough game after three away wins but we were not competitive," he told Sky Sports.

"They were clinical, but we made mistakes today, three very important goals we could avoid normally.

"In the second we tried to be consistent, forget the score and be competitive and I think we did that in the second half.

"We have to be clinical with the chances we get, but in the first half they were better than us and decided the match. I can only say sorry to our supporters, and we did not play in the way we have been."

In normal circumstances, Pep Guardiola's landmark achievement might have been the focus ahead of Manchester City's clash with Aston Villa.

Yet the build-up to Sunday's fixture at the Etihad Stadium was overshadowed by City having been accused of over 100 breaches of the Premier League's financial regulations.

While City will defend themselves off the pitch, their players stepped up by beating Villa 3-1 to ensure Guardiola's 250th Premier League game in charge was marked in style.

Stats Perform has looked at the numbers from Guardiola's time in England's top tier.

The numbers

1 – Guardiola has the highest win rate of any manager to have coached in 100 or more games in the Premier League (73.6 per cent).

29 – Guardiola is the 29th manager to reach the 250-game milestone in the Premier League's history.

184 – After City's victory over Villa, Guardiola has won 184 of his games in the competition. This is a Premier League career total bettered by only five other managers (Jose Mourinho, Harry Redknapp, David Moyes, Arsene Wenger and Alex Ferguson). His tally of victories is the most of any manager across their first 250 games in the competition (Jurgen Klopp is second, with 160).

34 – City have lost only 34 league games under Guardiola.

4 – Of those defeats, four have come against Klopp's Liverpool, but it is Tottenham who Guardiola has notoriously struggled against. He has lost six times to Spurs in the top flight, including five of their last seven such meetings.

115 – Renowned for their glorious attacking play, City have nevertheless built their success on a stingy defence under Guardiola, whose team have kept 115 clean sheets.

621 – Guardiola's City have netted 621 goals in the Premier League.

204 – In contrast, they have conceded only 204 times.

The records

Guardiola's largest league win as City boss came against Watford in September 2019 (8-0).

His biggest loss as City manager in the Premier League came in his first season in charge, when his side lost 4-0 to Everton at Goodison Park in January 2017.

City stormed to their first league title under Guardiola in the 2017-18 season, becoming the first team in the competition's history to attain 100 points in a season.

They took 50 of those points on the road in the 2017-18 campaign, a Premier League record, as is their tally of 16 away wins that term. Another record haul is their tally of 106 goals in that season.

Their side of 2017-18 won 32 games, another competition high mark, and incredibly City matched that total in the following season.

City went on a run of 18 successive wins between 26 August and 27 December, 2017. That tally has not been bettered, though it was matched by Liverpool in the 2019-20 season (as was the 32 wins in a season record).

In 2021, Guardiola's City netted 113 times, a Premier League record for goals in a calendar year.

City's streak of 14 victories to end a season (2018-19) is a record, as is their run of 12 consecutive away wins between December 2020 and May 2021.

The Players

Raheem Sterling is the player with the most top-flight goals for City across Guardiola's 250 games in charge, with 85. Sergio Aguero ranks second on 82.

Ederson has made the most appearances (204 – all of them starts) while Kevin De Bruyne (203) is the outfield player to have played the most games.

De Bruyne, as expected, leads the way for assists (87). With a goal haul of 53, the Belgian tops the charts for direct goal involvements (140).

Manchester City put a difficult week behind them as they cruised to a 3-1 victory over Aston Villa.

The build-up to Sunday's meeting at the Etihad Stadium was dominated by news of the Premier League accusing City of breaking over 100 financial regulations between 2009 and 2018.

Pep Guardiola, managing his 250th Premier League game, delivered an impassioned defence of his club and his players performed as they returned to winning ways following their loss at Tottenham last week.

Rodri's header, Ilkay Gundogan's tap-in and Riyad Mahrez's penalty had City 3-0 up by the break, and though Ollie Watkins pulled one back for Villa, the champions comfortably closed the gap on Arsenal to three points ahead of Wednesday's crunch meeting between the top two.

Having jeered the Premier League anthem, City's fans had something to cheer inside four minutes, when Rodri headed in from Mahrez's corner.

Only a fine save from Emiliano Martinez prevented Gundogan – City's hero in the title-clinching comeback in last season's corresponding fixture – making it 2-0.

Martinez was fortunate to be awarded a free-kick after a collision with Erling Haaland allowed Gundogan to arrow home.

A glut of City chances went begging but their win was still all but ensured by half-time.

Gundogan got his goal after brilliant work from Haaland, with Mahrez slamming in from the spot after Jacob Ramsey fouled Grealish.

Having replaced Haaland at half-time, Julian Alvarez teed up City's first second-half opening – Martinez denying Rodri a second.

Watkins marked his 100th Villa appearance by scoring in three consecutive Premier League games for the first time, capitalising on Manuel Akanji's error.

It would prove nothing more than a consolation, with City unfortunate not to restore their three-goal cushion through Alvarez and Mahrez – who blasted over from close range late on – as they clinched a 13th straight home league win over Villa.

 

What does it mean? City's siege mentality a scary sign for title rivals

"I think they are going to be together and try to respond on the pitch," Villa head coach Unai Emery said of City ahead of the game. "It is going to be very difficult. It's a big challenge for us."

That challenge proved too big for the visitors, with City seemingly determined to put on a show and make a statement of intent after the Premier League's allegations came to light.

City had 17 shots, got nine on target and finished with an expected goals (xG) of 3.64 – compared to 0.25 for their opponents – and they will move top of the table should they defeat Arsenal on Wednesday.

They did offer some chances to Villa in the second half, with Watkins punishing them and Jhon Duran rattling the crossbar, but City were well worth the three points.

Pep brings 250 up in style

Guardiola's 250th league game in charge of City featured some typically scintillating attacking play, and ended in a typically convincing success.

He has won 184 of those 250 matches (73.6 per cent), with his City side scoring 621 goals in the competition and toppling countless records.

Haaland concern

Comfortably up at half-time, Guardiola had the luxury of being able to take off City's star striker, who did appear to be nursing a thigh problem in the first half.

City fans will hope it was just a precaution, with their clash with Arsenal just around the corner. Haaland, who was largely frustrated in the defeat at Spurs, was a menace in the first half, with his assist for Gundogan his 29th direct goal contribution in the top flight this season (11 more than any other player in the league).

Haaland was involved in one small flashpoint during his time on the pitch, with Mahrez seemingly taking over penalty duties against the Norway international's wishes, though the incident was swiftly brushed aside.

What's next?

City head to Emirates Stadium on Wednesday in what seems set to be the first truly pivotal clash in this season's tittle race, while the Gunners are also Villa's next opponents on Saturday.

Manchester City fans booed the Premier League anthem ahead of kick-off in Sunday's game against Aston Villa.

City have been accused of over 100 breaches of financial regulations between a period of 2009 and 2018.

Their first match since those accusations came to light saw them host Villa at the Etihad Stadium, where the league's anthem – which is played before every match in the competition – was roundly booed by the home supporters.

Pep Guardiola, who gave an impassioned defence of the club this week, received a huge ovation as he made his way out of the tunnel for what was his 250th Premier League match in charge of City.

City fans have previous for jeering at anthems, with supporters routinely giving the same response to the Champions League's music after they were accused of breaching UEFA's financial fair play rules.

They eventually managed to overturn a ban from European football and instead paid a €10million fine.

Pep Guardiola reaffirmed that Manchester City's glorious moments will always belong to them, asking if it was the club's fault Steven Gerrard slipped in the 2013-14 season.

City have been accused of over 100 breaches of the Premier League's financial rules between the seasons of 2009-10 and 2017-18. 

Speculation has been rife as to the level of punishment the champions might receive should they be found guilty, including points deductions, relegation or the stripping of the titles they won during that time period, including two under Guardiola.

Yet Guardiola has insisted the moments cannot be taken away from City or their fans regardless of the punishment, if indeed there is one, with the manager sarcastically asking the press if it was his club's fault that Liverpool great Gerrard slipped at a vital moment in the 2013-14 title race.

Gerrard fell to the Anfield turf during a clash with Chelsea in April of that season, with Demba Ba going on to score as the Blues triumphed and handed City the chance to go and win their second Premier League title.

"Those moments belong to us. They absolutely belong to us, regardless of the sentence, they belong to us," Guardiola said.

"The goal from Sergio Agüero [in 2012]. I don't know if we are responsible for Steven Gerrard slipping at Anfield. Was that our fault?

"I have respect for Steven Gerrard – but that moment belongs to us.

"The moments that we lived these years together, the Premier League will decide, but I know what we won and the way we won it.

"I know the effort we put in. If something happened in 2009 or 2010 it is not going to change one second."

Guardiola has full faith in the club's hierarchy.

"What I can say is I am proud of my owners, of my chairman, and the relationship we have had, this time together," he said.

"I have relied on them [and what they told me] a lot in the past, now you can't imagine."

Former Barcelona and Bayern Munich boss Guardiola also remains fully committed to City's cause.

"If they want me here I will be here," he continued. "The results are not good, they will put me out because it is a business where you have to win.

"But if they want me I will not let them down and my players, too. I want to convince them that what we have done, we have done and they won't remove it.

"We have to defend our position and the way to do it is on the pitch, that’s the only way, and the way we have done it all the time."

City would move within three points of league leaders Arsenal, who drew with Brentford on Saturday, should they beat Aston Villa on Sunday.

The corresponding fixture last season saw City come from behind to beat Villa – then managed by Gerrard – 3-2 on the final day of the season, clinching the fourth Premier League title of Guardiola's tenure in the process, ahead of Liverpool.

Pep Guardiola has warned Manchester City's Premier League rivals to beware any future investigation into their own money matters.

City have been accused of over 100 breaches of the Premier League's financial rules between the seasons of 2009-10 and 2017-18, with an independent commission to review the cases against them.

Guardiola believes City's Premier League rivals are responsible for the allegations they face, saying every one of the other 19 teams in the league want to see his team punished.

For his part, Guardiola is convinced City have done nothing wrong, but he said he could not be sure others would be so squeaky clean.

"They open a precedent right now," Guardiola said. "What they have done to us, be careful, be careful in the future.

"Because many clubs can make a suggestion, and there are a lot of clubs that can be accused like we are being accused, without maybe being innocent.

"I don't know what's going to happen in the future. I can have a feeling.

"Would they push to get rid of us in the competitions? That is obvious, because they believe we didn't behave properly, and we can accept that, but let us defend when we believe we did it properly."

Guardiola said City bosses are more confident than ever about having adhered to the rules, having previously faced a case brought by UEFA over financial fair play.

In 2020, City had a two-year ban from European football overturned by the Court of Arbitration for Sport. They were fined €10million for a failure to cooperate with UEFA investigations, but the ban was lifted.

Guardiola would rather focus on on-pitch matters, and urged his players to "defend this club as well as possible".

"Why should they be distracted? I'm confident in my players," Guardiola said.

He played down talk of a recent dip in form, although City have lost three of their last six games, with an EFL Cup exit at the hands of Southampton followed by a derby defeat to Manchester United and a loss at Tottenham.

Aston Villa visit the Etihad Stadium on Sunday, a repeat of the meeting on the final day of last season when City came from 2-0 behind to win 3-2 and secure the Premier League title for a fourth time in five seasons.

"We lost to Spurs – the rest was quite good," Guardiola said of his team's form. "We know the situation. We know we have to make more consistency and we'll try to start on Sunday.

"Normally we didn't give up in previous seasons in the toughest moments, and we were there, and I have the feeling we will continue to do it.

"We try to do our best on the pitch like everyone else. The players will be focused on our games, that's for sure."

Would there be extra motivation given the off-field goings-on?

"No," said Guardiola. "When games are coming back everyone is going to do the job they have to do, ourselves on the on pitch and the lawyers in the court.

"We are not alone when we are together, but against 19 teams we are alone, that is for sure."

He said the perceived opposition to City by their Premier League rival clubs would not be a fuel this weekend.

"You have to play good, we have to beat Aston Villa," Guardiola said. "If 19 clubs [and the case against City] are going to help us beat Aston Villa? We have to do it like always we have done it.

"We did it on the pitch. If they want to take it off the pitch, OK, but let us defend."

Pep Guardiola took aim at Manchester City's Premier League rivals, accusing them of being behind the charges the champions face over their finances, and insisted: "More than ever I want to stay."

The City manager claimed nine Premier League teams – who he named – had tried to have City thrown out of the Champions League previously, when the club faced UEFA charges over financial fair play.

He said all 19 of City's rivals this season wanted to see the champions punished, but Guardiola is convinced City have operated by the book and will be cleared.

The former Barcelona and Bayern Munich coach then questioned what the reparations would be once City are proven not guilty and said it was clear they were already being treated as a "condemned" club.

In a fiery broadside at the rest of the English elite, Guardiola also said other clubs should be careful about pushing for action against City, suggesting they may not want their own financial affairs too closely examined.

City have been accused of over 100 breaches of the Premier League's financial rules between the seasons of 2009-10 and 2017-18. Guardiola said the action had come about because City "are not part of the establishment".

"My first thought is we have already been condemned," he said. "What's happened this week after Monday is what happened with UEFA."

In 2020, City had a two-year ban from European football overturned by the Court of Arbitration for Sport. The club were fined €10million for a failure to cooperate, down from an initial €30m, but were allowed to play in UEFA's international club tournaments.

Guardiola said: "The club proved we are completely innocent.

"You have to understand that between 19 teams of the Premier League accusing us without the least opportunity to defend, and the words of my club, my owner, my chairman, my CEO, explaining everything during these three or four years, you know exactly on what side I am."

Guardiola said it felt as thought City were "already sentenced", but he takes heart from the fact City have already fought what he sees as a similar case, from which they emerged reasonably unscathed.

"I think the Premier League, supported by 19 teams, are going to take good lawyers, too, to defend their position, like we are going to defend our position," Guardiola said.

"Time will dictate what is going to happen, but just in case we are not innocent, we will accept what the judge, the Premier League decide.

"But what happens if the same situation with UEFA happens and we are innocent? What happens to restore or pay back our damage?"

He alleged Burnley, Wolves, Leicester City, Newcastle United, Tottenham, Arsenal, Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea had all wanted City out of the Champions League previously.

"Like Julius Caesar said, in this world there are not enemies or friends, there are just interests," Guardiola said.

In a rare lighthearted moment, he jokingly suggested City would call on club legends Paul Dickov and Mike Summerbee if they were expelled from the Premier League and sent down the divisions, but he promised the club would return to the elite.

"It's the second time of this story. We've lived this before," Guardiola added. "Between these nine teams before and these 19 teams now, the words of them or the words of my people, I'm sorry, but I rely on the words of my people.

"I'm fully convinced we will be innocent."

Guardiola said nobody could take away City's spectacular achievements over the past 15 years, during the Abu Dhabi ownership period.

And he said all the feats during his seven-and-a-half-year reign "belong to us, for our fans, for our people".

Was this all being driven by other clubs, Guardiola was asked to clarify.

"Yes, of course, it's the Premier League," he replied. "I don't know [why]. You have to go to all the CEOs, [people like Tottenham's] Daniel Levy and all these kind of people, and ask them."

Guardiola is steadfast he will not be quitting City over this matter.

"Hopefully the reason they sack me from here will be the results," he said. "I'm not moving from this seat, I can assure you. More than ever I want to stay. Sometimes I have doubts that seven years, eight years is a long time in any country.

"It's many, many years, imagine, in the Premier League, but now I don't want to move. Not because the people say, 'they lie to you, Pep'. They didn't lie to me. Look what happened with UEFA. I said to them, 'what happened?'

"They said, 'Pep, we didn't do anything wrong', and we proved it. Now it is the same case. Why should I not trust my people and trust with all of the CEOs and owners from the 19 clubs? No, I trust my people, not one second for the other ones."

Graham Potter is hopeful Joao Felix can make a difference for out-of-form Chelsea on his return from suspension at West Ham, acknowledging his raft of new signings must gel quickly.

Joao Felix arrived on loan from Atletico Madrid last month and initially impressed on his debut at Fulham, though a rash challenge on Kenny Tete saw him sent off 58 minutes into the Blues' 2-1 defeat.

That made him the first player to be dismissed on his Premier League debut for Chelsea, and Potter's men have struggled for attacking inspiration during his subsequent three-match ban.

After beating Crystal Palace 1-0 in their next game, Chelsea laboured to goalless draws with Liverpool and Fulham – they have never drawn three successive league matches 0-0 in their history.

Speaking ahead of Saturday's short trip to face London rivals West Ham, Potter highlighted Joao Felix's positive performances in training. 

"I think we all saw the impact he had in his hour before the red card," Potter recalled of his debut. "You can see his quality, we see it every day. 

"He's a player that can make a difference for us. It's about helping him to get integrated into the team, but the signs are really positive."

The Portugal attacker has since been joined by more big-name arrivals at Stamford Bridge, with Chelsea investing heavily to acquire Mykhaylo Mudryk, Enzo Fernandez and others.

Asked how patient he could afford to be with his new players, Potter said: "It's my job. When you're coaching players, there is a process to go through and you have to understand the context.

"I'm not stupid, at the end of the day, if the results aren't what this club should get, and if I'm the reason for it... then that's the job.

"In the meantime, I have to go through the process of working with the players, helping them improve. 

"It's a complicated situation at the moment, but I'm really looking forward to the challenge that awaits us. I don't worry about the absolute timescale of it all."

Reports have suggested Chelsea could help to balance their incomings by letting Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang depart for Major League Soccer outfit Los Angeles FC, but Potter says there is "nothing to report" on that front.

"He's been training with us this week, conducting himself well," Potter added. "He has been supporting his team-mates and while he is here, he is doing exactly what I expect him to do."

Potter was also asked about this week's announcement that Manchester City have been charged with breaching the Premier League's financial regulations, but he was careful to stress the champions remain innocent until proven guilty. 

"I don't know anything about it, we focus on ourselves. It's something Manchester City have to deal with," he said.

"As I understand it, they're just charges. Certainly in this country, you're innocent until you're proven guilty, so it's not for me to comment on it."

The fixtures are coming thick and fast on multiple fronts for many Premier League teams as European football returns, meaning plenty of tinkering from managers between games.

Add into the mix an array of January signings being eased into the sides, selecting a team of guaranteed starters is becoming increasingly difficult. 

But fear not as Stats Perform, using Opta data, has picked out four players who not only look certain to start this weekend but – crucially – also earn plenty of points.

Keylor Navas (Fulham v Nottingham Forest)

Paris Saint-Germain loanee Navas needed no time at all to settle in at Nottingham Forest as he kept a clean sheet on his debut in last week's 1-0 win over Leeds United.

The Costa Rica international made four saves against Leeds – only Hugo Lloris and David Raya (both five) made more while keeping a clean sheet in the last round of games.

Forest have now kept four clean sheets in their past six league matches, while opponents Fulham have failed to score in any of their past three top-flight outings.

Craig Dawson (Southampton v Wolves)

Dawson is another who made a fast start to life at a new club, with the centre-back scoring and keeping a clean sheet on his debut against Liverpool in a 3-0 win for Wolves.

That was Dawson's 20th Premier League goal – always a handy asset for a defender – including at least one in each of his eight top-flight seasons.

Wolves will be hopeful of building on a return of two shutouts in their past three league games when they face bottom side Southampton, who are averaging 0.8 goals per game.

Harvey Barnes (Leicester City v Tottenham)

Leicester midfielder Barnes has scored one and assisted another in his past two Premier League outings, taking his tally to seven goals for the campaign.

The one-cap England international is only two goals short of matching his best tally in a single season in the competition, set in 2020-21 with nine.

Having found their scoring touch with six goals in their past two league games, Leicester appear good value to net against Tottenham, who will have back-up Fraser Forster between the posts.

Riyad Mahrez (Manchester City v Aston Villa, and Arsenal v Manchester City)

Whether he starts both games remains to be seen, but the fact City have two league matches in the next week means you have double the chance to score points with Mahrez.

He was unable to make a difference in the loss to Spurs, though he has still been involved in six goals in his past six league games for City (three goals, three assists).

Only Marcus Rashford (eight) and Erling Haaland (seven) have been involved in more Premier League goals since the World Cup than the City winger.

Manchester City reportedly view Chelsea defender Ben Chilwell as a potential answer to their left-back problem and will investigate a move at the end of the season.

Chilwell, 26, was purchased from Leicester City for a £50million fee prior to the 2020-21 campaign, and he enjoyed immediate success at Stamford Bridge. In his first season with the club, all 27 of his Premier League appearances came in the starting line-up, and he also played a full 90 minutes in their Champions League final triumph over City.

Unfortunately, the England international with 17 senior caps has been plagued by injuries since, with a serious knee injury this past season followed by a long-term hamstring injury early in the current campaign.

Chilwell returned from his hamstring issue with a brief appearance off the bench against Fulham on February 3, and if he can prove his fitness down the stretch then he could prove the perfect replacement for Joao Cancelo after his shock departure on loan to Bayern Munich.

TOP STORY – CITY IDENTIFY CHILWELL AS POTENTIAL CANCELO REPLACEMENT

The future of Cancelo with City is looking bleak after he was shipped off to Bayern following reports of a training ground dispute with boss Pep Guardiola, and Caught Offside claims the club are already looking at long-term solutions in his position.

Fabrizio Romano writes that "Chilwell is one of the players who has been appreciated by Manchester City for years" – but adds the Englishman is just one name on a shortlist of left-back options to pursue when the season wraps up.

Chilwell's five-year contract with Chelsea ties him to the club until 2025, but the report states the addition of Marc Cucurella has made him more expendable if the price is right.

ROUND-UP

– According to 90min, Chelsea have made 24-year-old Napoli striker Victor Osimhen their top forward target, and he is expected to cost in excess of £100million (€110m).

– The Daily Mail is reporting Tottenham will look to sign new centre-backs at the end of the season, and have taken a liking to 22-year-old Crystal Palace talent Marc Guehi, who may be available for a fee of around £45million.

– According to Spanish publication Sport, Barcelona will join a long list of elite clubs – including Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Arsenal and Inter – in the pursuit of 25-year-old Borussia Monchengladbach striker Marcus Thuram. The France international will become a free agent after the season, and his father Lillian Thuram spent two seasons with Barcelona before retiring.

Inter will work to secure 29-year-old striker Romelu Lukaku on either a permanent deal or another loan from Chelsea next season at a lower cost, per Gazzetta dello Sport.

– Football Insider is reporting Liverpool, Everton and Leeds United are all interested in 18-year-old Birmingham City midfielder George Hall, who some are calling "the next Jude Bellingham".

Argentina's World Cup-winning boss Lionel Scaloni and Real Madrid's Carlo Ancelotti are among the finalists for The Best FIFA Men's Coach Award 2022.

The duo are listed alongside perennial candidate Pep Guardiola of Manchester City in the final three, with the latter named as a finalist for the third time.

Scaloni, who finished fourth last year, took La Albiceleste to victory at Qatar 2022 and is recognised for his efforts in helping to seal a first World Cup triumph since 1986.

Ancelotti is feted for his work with Madrid, after winning a continental double and becoming the first manager to win all five major European league titles.

Guardiola guided City to another Premier League triumph, though he fell short in the Champions League once again and saw his team's main rival Liverpool nab the FA Cup and EFL Cup.

The Spaniard will be looking to go one better than his previous two appearances as a finalist in the voting, having finished second in 2019 and third in 2021.

Among those included in the final three for The Best FIFA Women's Coach Award, England boss Sarina Wiegman picks up a sixth consecutive nod in the category.

The Lionesses manager, a two-time winner of the prize, led the team to a maiden major honour triumph at Euro 2022, securing victory against Germany on home soil.

She is joined by Brazil boss Pia Sundhage – the Swede having claimed Copa America Femenina glory – and Lyon's Sonia Bompastor, who won the treble with the French side.

The winners of The Best FIFA Football Awards will be announced on February 27.

 

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