Guardiola is now 'unable to improve'

CITY boss Pep Guardiola has set the bar so high at the Etihad that he can no longer improve, says Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta.

- By BEN CRAWFORD

Despite being reigning Premier League champions for four consecutive years and coming into this season aiming for a record-extending fifth, City have faced widespread struggles.

They have already doubled last season's number of defeats in the English top flight, leaving them trailing behind Liverpool by 12 points and six points adrift of the second-placed Gunners heading into today's clash at the Emirates.

City's head coach had a particularly tough time over the Christmas period and Arteta, who previously worked as Guardiola's assistant, fears that the expectations set by his impressive six league titles in Manchester are almost impossible to surpass.