Pep Guardiola pays Mikel Arteta the ultimate compliment with huge Arsenal claim

Manchester City are attempting to hunt down Arsenal in the title race, but Pep Guardiola reckons they are chasing the best team in the world under Mikel Arteta

Pep Guardiola has hailed Arsenal as the best team in world football. The Gunners, under the stewardship of Guardiola’s protege Mikel Arteta, are in pole position to seal a first Premier League title since 2004.

Manchester City remain their nearest challengers but are seven points off the pace having failed to win each of their last four league fixtures, including last weekend’s humbling derby defeat at Old Trafford.

It would be a huge surprise if the run extends further as rock-bottom Wolves visit the Etihad on Saturday afternoon. But Guardiola knows his side must improve after an embarrassing reverse at European minnows Bodo/Glimt in midweek.

“They [Arsenal] are the best team in the world right now,” he said. “We have to get better and hope they can give us one chance to catch them.”

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Despite their healthy lead at the top, Arteta is taking nothing for granted. The Gunners host Manchester United at the Emirates on Sunday having been held to a goalless draw at Nottingham Forest in their last league outing.

Arsenal are still challenging on four fronts. They sit top of the Champions League table, have a one-goal lead over Chelsea in the Carabao Cup semi-finals and take on Wigan in the fourth round of the FA Cup.

“You don’t have to go back to the history of that club [City] in the last ten years and what they are capable of doing,” Arteta said. “We know what we have to be able to do to win this Premier League. We are far from perfect.”

Guardiola has new signings Antoine Semenyo and Marc Guehi available for the visit of Wolves, the latter in line to make his Blues debut. Bernardo Silva also returns from suspension.

Erling Haaland is enduring an unusually barren spell having scored just once in his last eight appearances.

The City boss added: “I know the reason we are struggling now, 100 per cent I know what’s happening with the team. They are fatigued, like last season, we cannot rotate the teams.

“At the moment, we cannot play against European teams every three days. So let’s give it a little more time. Will it be enough? I don’t know. When we arrive in February, March, all I ask is to have the team back.

“After that, I swear, we will be there. Give me my squad back and then, after that, we’ll see what happens. I have an extraordinary team — I don’t have any doubts about that.”

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