23 January 2023 , 02:00
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Pep Guardiola said he is still not satisfied with his Manchester City side – despite an Erling Haaland hat-trick sinking Wolves.
Guardiola tore into his players after their 4-2 comeback win over Tottenham, claiming they lacked the “passion, fire and hunger” to retain their Premier League title. Despite Haaland taking his goal tally for the season to 31 with his fourth hat-trick of the season, Guardiola said there was still room for improvement from City.
“The message is clear - it's just one game, so we have to see in the future,” said Guardiola. “The way we played was quite similar to the first-half when we were losing 2-0 to Spurs.
“There are things like how you react when the ball is out of play and we don’t react. Today we improved, but it was just today, so we'll see what happens in the next games.”
Guardiola said Haaland's latest masterclass was the perfect response to critics who said City were better off without him leading their attack. “When we lost the Community Shield to Liverpool, all the questions were about how he will not adapt to the Premier League,” said Guardiola.
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“When he scores goals he's the solution - when he doesn't, he's the problem. He's not a player to be dropped, we cannot play the false nine with him, we have to adapt and I think we're doing pretty well.”
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Pep Guardiola wants to see more from his players as they battle Arsenal for the title (Getty Images)On City's chances of catching Arsenal, defender John Stones said: "I think it's just about us. We can be our own worst enemies at times. “We have to be focused. We're the champions for a reason and we want to be champions again.
“We have to put ourselves in the best place possible. Keep winning games and getting clean sheets and see where it takes us."
Wolves boss Julen Lopetegui said: "Today we deserved to lose. I think we've improved in certain things and I'm happy with the commitment of the players. We were bottom of the table when I arrived, but the next few months will be long ones."