Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola opened up about the upcoming Premier League fixture against West Ham, on May 15, where the current table-toppers will look to extend their lead and have a steadier grasp on the title race. 

City, who are currently three points ahead of second-placed Liverpool, won a much-needed break when Jurgen Klopp’s Merseyside company tied 1-1 with Antonio Conte’s Tottenham Hotspur, even as Guardiola’s side thrashed Newcastle 5-0. Now, with the Anfield side focused on their FA Cup final at Wembley, against Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea, City have a shot at deepening the gap. 

However, the east London club have been rather successful in giving City a tough time over the last two seasons where the boys in blue have found their visits to the London Stadium ending in draws. 

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Speaking ahead of the game, Guardiola was asked if the fixture would have been easier if West Ham had been in the Europa finals. He replied, “I don’t know. Sometimes when you play finals you are more focused”, adding, “They are playing to qualify for Europa League next season. I expect the best West Ham, playing in the final or not.” 

Guardiola continued, “This morning I watched their last game; the games we played against them this season and we will do what we have to do.” 

City found success with early goals this season and the Spanish coach was quizzed about the same. However, he didn’t have a reply, merely saying “I didn’t know the stats”. 

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The 51-year-old continued, “I don’t know. If this happened, it’s because the team started really well, but I don’t know the reason why”, adding, “If it’s happened it is because they start focused, with good rhythm and know exactly what to do. It is so important.”

He concluded, “We can manage the pace and the rhythm we need to play the game. I am more concerned with how we react in the bad moments; all big teams are defined in that way.” 

The Spaniard also slammed pundits who questioned City’s character following their Champions League semi-final defeat to Real Madrid. 

Following the loss, City had successive 5-1 PL wins, and Guardiola was asked how the team managed that. He replied, “The answer is so easy. It is the same character that lost to Madrid in the last minutes”, continuing, “(They say) we don’t have personality because we concede in the last minutes, and after the last two games we have personality.” 

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The coach also brought up Liverpool as comparison, to make his point, stating, “Personality is what we have done in the last five years. Maybe Liverpool is going to win all four titles or just one. Am I going to say they don’t have personality or that they had a bad season?” 

He concluded, “It is football, you cannot control it. When you always arrive in the latter stages, semi-finals, finals, it is incredible. This for me, because we arrive until the end, playing a lot of games, this is the most important thing.”