Pep on what Man City must do to catch Arsenal and importance of Bernardo Silva.

Pep explains what Man City must do to catch Arsenal as he responds to the latest Bernardo Silva comments.

Pep Guardiola reckons his Manchester City side have to be 'almost perfect' from now up until the end of the 2022-23 Premier League campaign if they are to catch table-toppers Arsenal.

Mikel Arteta's Gunners failed to extend the gap at the league summit as they dropped points, playing out a goalless draw with Newcastle at the Emirates on Tuesday, but they are still eight points clear of the Cityzens, who sit in the second spot.

Speaking ahead of City's league match against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Thursday, Guardiola said it is also possible Arsenal can run away with the league, considering their current form.

"The way you have to reduce the gap is to play good and win games," Guardiola in his pre-match press conference on Wednesday.

"They have an average, and they're going to do 100 points or more if they carry on, and we won't catch them. We will have to be almost perfect.

"We'd expect from here to the end of the season they'd drop a little bit in terms of their performances, but they were excellent against Newcastle, so we'll see what happens."

City face Chelsea twice in three days, first in the Premier League and then at the Etihad Stadium in the third round of the FA Cup on Sunday.

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On their first Chelsea fixture, Pep added: "It is always difficult when you travel to Stamford Bridge. It is a tough game against a tough side who are well managed.

"It doesn't matter the position you are when you travel there – it's always difficult. At the same time, we're looking forward to it and the next few weeks in different competitions."

Bernardo Silva's future was up for discussion after the Portuguese midfield maestro recently suggested that his future lies elsewhere.

When Pep was quizzed about Silva's latest comments, he replied: "He's a key player, so important on and off the pitch.

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"He's a guy who can talk, always with a nice conversation and always you learn about his humanity, his vision for the club and the league.

"He's an incredible player against top sides, in decisive games he's always there. Nothing has changed about his future."

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