PREMIER LEAGUE

PEP GUARDIOLA says he will never get bored with searching for football perfection. Manchester City have made an impressive defence of their Premier League title, going the first 15 games of this season unbeaten. Guardiola’s side have dropped just four points and remain on course to match Arsenal’s Invincibles season under Arsene Wenger in 2003-04.

City face one of their toughest challenges today when they travel to Stamford Bridge to take on Chelsea, but the Spaniard claims he has no interest in completing an entire season unbeaten.

He said: “I don’t care about that (emulating the ‘Invincibles’). It’s the less important thing. The most important thing is what we have to think about. The target is to play well in the next game. Okay, we are unbeaten – but we will see. That’s why you have to work at it every single day.

“I am not a guy who says that everything is perfect. Always I have something to be worried about and that is the best way to try to improve.

“When you achieve one challenge, there is always another challenge right in front of you to take on. If there wasn’t, it would be be boring.”

After storming to the top of the table and marching through to the Champions League knockout stages with a group game to spare, Guardiola has fired an ominous warning to his rivals at home and abroad.

The Spaniard, whose team have conceded just two goals in seven away games, insists that the odds-on title favourites have not yet hit top form and that his well-oiled machine will get even better.

He said: “There are individual players who can do better, who have made mistakes with the ball and without the ball.

“That is what pushes us to make another step. Hopefully when important openings come we can be in good form and remain unbeaten. We are not the best. To be the best we have to win titles and we haven’t done that yet.

“We could have dropped two points in 10 minutes against Watford (on Tuesday night) so there are many things we can do better.

“I am most proud of how consistent we have been in the last 16 months. Playing every three days, that’s the most difficult thing in all sports.

“The biggest danger to us is to think it’s not necessary to improve. I see my team and many things are good, but still we can do better.”

Guardiola will today come up against the player who snubbed him this summer in the shape of Jorginho, who chose to join the Londoners from Napoli in a £50million deal.

But Guardiola insists he has no regrets about missing out on the Italian international because he has Fernandinho as his holding midfielder.

He said: “For me it is uncomfortable to speak about a player with another club. We spoke before the Community Shield and he decided to go there.

“I’m not going to say it was a bad decision. He knows the manager, he knows the club – Chelsea is an exceptional club. So all the best to him.

“He did not come to compete with Fernandinho to be part of our team.

“What he (Fernandinho) has done, not just this season but all the years we have been together, is incredible.

“People speak about many of my players but I understand completely that most of the good things we have in this moment are thanks to that guy. I am very pleased for him and I’m pretty sure he will continue like this.”