Pep Guardiola challenges Manchester City to 'become the best team in English history'
Monday 30 April 2018 06:24, UK
Pep Guardiola has urged his Manchester City title-winners to prove they are the best team in English history.
The newly-crowned Premier League champions racked up a century of goals for the season on their way to a 4-1 win at West Ham and now stand on the verge of a record-breaking campaign.
City, who will be presented with the Premier League trophy at home to Huddersfield next Sunday, need one more win to break Chelsea's points record of 95 and two more goals to overtake the Blues' Premier League high of 103.
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City boss Guardiola said: "I'm happy that next Sunday we will receive the Premier League trophy and have the chance to be the best team in history in England, with the most points. We are going to try to do it next Sunday.
"To just be happy when you lift the title makes no sense. The numbers are facts, hopefully we will get one more victory and we will have 96 [points].
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"You always have to play for something. Once we had won the Premier League the target is the numbers.
"The numbers we are going to achieve will not be easy. We will have to play good to break the record. It's good to see something to fight [for]."
And Guardiola will challenge his side to perform just as well, if not better, next season.
He added: "Football is not a finished business. We can be clinical. There are many aspects we can improve. If it was perfect, I would not be here next season. I would be done.
"The level of consistency was high this season, yes. Our strikers have an average age of 22. For 20 guys in our squad, this will be the first time they've won the Premier League. We are a young team in terms of many circumstances. That's why it's good.
"The target next season is to keep this consistency, the discipline. In the recent Premier League, teams were not able to do that. That is the challenge."
Leroy Sane, Gabriel Jesus and Fernandinho were on target for City, while Pablo Zabaleta scored an own goal against his old club, as City cruised to a record-equalling 30th victory of the season.
The Hammers gave their visitors a guard of honour as they emerged from the tunnel, and they were just as accommodating on the pitch once the game kicked off.
After 12 minutes Sane's shot deflected in off Patrice Evra, before Kevin De Bruyne's cross found the net via Declan Rice's thigh and Zabaleta's backside.
West Ham briefly rallied through Aaron Cresswell's free-kick but second-half strikes from Jesus and Fernandinho confirmed the gulf in class.
"Just like the last game against Swansea, we take it seriously and we respect the competition," added Guardiola.
"Huddersfield, Brighton, Southampton, they deserve for us to be who we are all season. It wouldn't be fair to them if we came down here for a holiday.
"We have to show who we are, who we've been all season, that's why we scored nine goals in two games."
