Guardiola makes Arsenal title admission while complaining about "terrible" January schedule

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has made an admission about his side's Premier League title ambitions as they look to chase down Arsenal, while bemoaning the January fixture schedule.

The Premier League resumed this week following a six-week break for the World Cup, with some stars getting a period of mid-season rest before friendly action.

Other players, meanwhile, represented their nations in Qatar, and 16 City players were involved in the tournament.

Guardiola was able to welcome back the majority of those players in last week's 3-2 Carabao Cup victory over Liverpool, with only World Cup winner Julian Alvarez not available for selection.

The Cityzens take on Leeds in the final game of the current Premier League matchweek on Wednesday evening.

They will look to close the gap to league leaders Arsenal, who moved eight points clear of third-placed City with their 3-1 win over West Ham. Newcastle sit in second place, seven points behind the Gunners having played a game more.

And prior to their clash with Leeds, Guardiola made an admission in relation to Arsenal - and his own side's January schedule.

Guardiola talks Arsenal, 'terrible' schedule

During January, City face the prospect of six games, whilst they also play on December 31.

Those games span three competitions, with an FA Cup fixture against Chelsea and a Carabao Cup quarter-final clash at Southampton also on the calendar.

Speaking about the schedule, Guardiola said (quotes via Daily Express): "We have Leeds and then it's non-stop. Our schedule in January is terrible in terms of the number of games and the quality of the opponents. So we have to restart.

"This is what we did against Liverpool [in the Carabao Cup] and, hopefully, we can continue."

He then added: "After our defeat against Brentford [in November] and with how strong Arsenal are, as well as the opponents who come from behind, we have to be alert and careful.

"If the distance is bigger, it will be so difficult to catch them."

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