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Pep Guardiola

MANCHESTER. — Pep Guardiola has demanded no let-up from his history-making Manchester City side after they recorded a record-breaking 15th straight English Premier League soccer win. Guardiola has also hailed his Manchester City players as “animals” after their record-breaking win against Swansea on Wednesday.

The 4-0 victory at the Liberty Stadium saw the Premier League leaders set a new record for consecutive wins in the competition, racking up their 15th straight victory and surpassing Arsenal’s previous record of 14.

The match comes in the middle of a busy week for City, having beaten Manchester United last weekend before playing Tottenham tomorrow, and Guardiola praised his side for their midweek performance.

Guardiola paid tribute to his table-topping team after they brushed aside Swansea City 4-0 on Wednesday night 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 of their nearest rivals Manchester United who beat Bournemouth 1-0 on Wednesday, courtesy of a Romeru Lukaku strike.

Other title contenders Liverpool are now 18 points behind Manchester City after they were held to a frustrating goalless draw by West Brom on Wednesday night while Arsenal also played out a goalless draw against West Ham to drop to seventh place and are now trailing the leaders City by 19 points.

“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,” Guardiola said.

“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. 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,” he said.

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.”

Meanwhile, Tottenham Hotspur are relishing the prospect of testing their credentials against Premier League leaders Manchester City and the north London club are confident of winning tomorrow’s away encounter, manager Mauricio Pochettino has said.

Tottenham fell to seventh after winning just one league game in November but have since recovered with a morale-boosting Champions League victory over APOEL Nicosia, followed by two consecutive domestic wins to climb back into the top four. City, meanwhile, are currently on a record-breaking 15-game winning streak in the league and 18 points ahead of Tottenham but Pochettino is confident his side can end that dominant run.

“I am so positive. I am a positive person. I am happy for the three points. What happens on Saturday, who knows? We go to Manchester to try to win. Football is football,” Pochettino said after Wednesday night’s 2-0 victory over Brighton and Hove Albion.

“In the last week, we have got three wins, and that is so important for us. We now feel we can stay higher in the table. There is a long way to go in the season and anything can happen. We are going to enjoy the game, as it is a fantastic challenge to play Manchester City. They are the best team in England, and one of the best teams in Europe. I am so excited to play in these games…”

Midfielder Erik Lamela started his first game for Tottenham since October 2016 against Brighton and Pochettino has backed the Argentina international to have a positive impact on the team’s performance.

“I think it is so important, he brought fantastic energy to the team and the last few weeks too. It’s normal and he needs time to give his best. I think it’s so important for the team to have him fit again and I think he’s going to help us a lot,” Pochettino told reporters.— AFP