‘15 games in a row in this period is really complicated’: Guardiola applauds team for historic run

Pep Guardiola has demanded no let-up from his history-making Manchester City side after they recorded a record-breaking 15th straight Premier League win. Guardiola paid tribute to his table-topping team after they brushed aside Swansea City 4-0 on Wednesday to set a new English top-flight record for successive victories.

Their win in South Wales eclipsed Arsenal’s record of 14 consecutive wins in the top division, set across two seasons in 2002, and Guardiola said his players were in no mood to stop now. “I am so happy because our job depends on if we win, so if we win we are so happy in our lives and in our jobs,” said the City manager, whose side remain 11 points clear. “In history there were amazing things like Liverpool in the 80s and Manchester United with Sir Alex Ferguson or Chelsea with Jose Mourinho. There were some amazing teams. But we are the first ones to win 15 in a row. If we win the title it will just be a record and this record will be broken, but of course it will not be easy. Because 15 games in a row in the Premier League in this period is really complicated.”

City have required late winners in several of their victories, but Guardiola said that simply reflected their desire to win.

“Of course we were lucky in some moments and we scored in the last minutes, I remember at Bournemouth for example,” he said. “But it means a lot in the faith and desire to win again and again and again. We are going to try not to stop, to show that feeling to the fans, so when they watch us they know the guys want to win again and again and again. We want to try to maintain it as much as possible.”

Silva ‘is a star’

David Silva scored twice as Guardiola’s men dismantled Swansea and the City manager hailed the Spanish midfielder’s newly acquired taste for goals after four in his last three games.

“He is a real leader in terms of never hiding on the pitch and I am so, so happy because I spoke with him many times and said: ‘You have to score goals,’” Guardiola said. “Because he has absolutely everything, but sometimes he was thinking more about the pass and now in the last games, at West Ham it was a winning goal and again at Old Trafford. He is a star, but now he is enjoying scoring goals. That is so important because we cannot just depend on Gabriel Jesus and Sergio Aguero. We have many options to score goals and that is so important for us.”

Swansea manager Paul Clement saw his side well beaten, with Kevin De Bruyne and Sergio Aguero also on target, but despite his admiration for City, he said his side had contributed to their own downfall.

“To be on the receiving end of that was very difficult,” said Clement, whose team remain at the foot of the table. “We knew it was going to be a difficult night, but I would say they are one of the best sides I have ever come across. They do the basics, the ugly side of the game. They make it really hard for you. It was a comfortable victory for them. I thought we became very passive, showing too much respect –- we were not aggressive enough. It was not about putting a striker on to go for it, but just to get upfield. It was a tough evening. They are a really, really top side.”