Pep Guardiola says Man City need changes after outplaying Arsenal.

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola says he will have to mintroduce changes tohis squad as they look to overtake Arsenal.

Pep Guardiola has warned that Manchester City will have to rely on more players if they are to overtake Arsenal in the final stages of the Premier League title race. The city beat the Gunners at the Etihad, which means they can go to the top of the table with a win at Burnley on Wednesday, but their manager admitted he cannot rely on the small group that has fuelled City’s push.

Eight days since Arsenal had the chance to go 12 points clear at the top of the table, City cut the deficit to three after victories over Chelsea and the leaders – and have a game in hand to help their momentum. Due to their FA Cup semi-final against Southampton next weekend, they will play midweek in the league.

It’s a chance for the Blues but also to get back to playing two games a week. Guardiola would rather have been in the Champions League but used Erling Haaland’s pairing with the Arsenal defenders to highlight how City have benefited from playing just twice in the last fortnight.

City were unchanged from their win against Chelsea, and their first change didn’t come until the 85th minute against Arsenal, as the same players came on for two big games. However, Guardiola is clear that he needs other players to step up, especially with Rodri likely injured due to a groin problem and games starting to come thick and fast again.

“He knows this situation isn’t the first time he’s dealt with Gabrielle and William Saliba. But playing every three days in November, December, January, and February – it’s not simple to maintain that with your body,” said Guardiola.

“Bernardo can do it but he’s a bit faster now because we’ve had a long week; he’s got to rest for two or three days, train properly and come here fresh.

“I knew that but I realised that it’s another competition for teams playing in Europe and for teams playing in a competition. It’s another history; it’s another game. Big clubs have better players, more squads, and are better financially, but when you come to play seven days and three days and three days, it’s another game. I realised this now in these last weeks.

“In these last games I played more or less the starting XI because we had six, seven, or eight days between games. But now, we go to London to play Burnley and then Southampton, and these guys can’t play all the time. If you’re a successful team, we can do it together.”