Pep Guardiola admits Manchester City cannot match Arsenal Invincible unbeaten streak

Unbeaten: Guardiola's side have won eight and drawn one of their league games
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James Benge23 October 2017

Pep Guardiola has insisted his Manchester City side cannot match the feat of Arsene Wenger’s great Arsenal side and go a whole season unbeaten.

City extended their nine game unbeaten run to start the season on Saturday with a 3-0 win over Burnley as crosstown rivals Manchester United fell to their first league defeat of the season, 2-1 at Huddersfield.

Guardiola’s side are one of only two teams, along with League One leaders Shrewsbury Town, but will need to avoid defeat in their next 29 matches if they are to match the record of Wenger’s 2003-04 title-winners.

It does not appear to be a feat that is beyond a City side who have swept all opposition this season but Guardiola is convinced they will fade at some stage.

“That’s not going to happen. We’re going to lose games, of course,” Guardiola told reporters. “I’m here to win the next one, then the next one and then in May we can see how the season was.

“But, if you ask me if we can finish unbeaten, I say that cannot happen.

“The only thing I think about as a manager, ever since my career started, is the next one and then the next one.

In Pictures | Manchester City vs Burnley | 21/10/2017

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“I know people like a lot of statistics in football, comparing what one has done and with the other one.

“I’m happy for 11 wins in a row because it shows that we can win a lot of games in a row.

“To have this kind of statistic is ridiculous, because football today is so demanding. But we know that when we don’t play good we’re going to lose games.”

Arsenal won 26 and drew 12 of their games in the 2003-04 season, part of a 49-game unbeaten streak, an English top flight record.

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