Arteta tells Guardiola how he's made a rod for his own back in 12-word message

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta believes Pep Guardiola has set such a high bar at struggling Manchester City that he's got no room for improvement.

The reigning Premier League champions, who have held said title for the last four years, entered this campaign looking to make it a record-extending five on the bounce - but they've fallen on comparatively tough times.

Guardiola’s side squeezed through the Champions League group phase by the skin of their teeth and have lost six games so far in the English top flight. That's double the number of defeats they suffered in the entirety of last term, meaning they sat 12 points off leaders Liverpool and six off of the second-placed Gunners ahead of this weekend's trip to the Emirates on Sunday afternoon.

City’s head coach endured a difficult festive period, and his former assistant Arteta fears that Guardiola has set the bar too high in light of his glistening football and six league titles at the Etihad.

"The bar is so high for him that he can't go higher," Arteta told Marca. "So either you maintain it, or people will say you're going backwards based only on the results they see, not on the work being done.

"Everyone knows how much I love him and how grateful I am for the opportunity he gave me. We've known each other for many years. Apart from the competitive aspect between our clubs, I always wish him well, and he knows it's a genuine feeling. Regarding results, he knows things change very quickly."

Arteta’s men have also not performed up to the impeccable standard they have set over the past two seasons. Despite drawing eight league matches, they remain close behind the league-leading Reds on 47 points, with a pivotal clash against Guardiola's side looming.

While City’s results have picked up of late, as their last two league fixtures have seen them thrash Ipswich Town 6-0 and edge out Chelsea 3-1, a defeat in Europe to PSG and an unconvincing 3-1 victory at home against Club Brugge indicate that they are not quite the side of old - something Guardiola realises.

"Life is not the next 20 years or century that City are going to win [all] the Premier Leagues. Sometimes it happens: accept the reality, we're struggling,” admitted Guardiola at the beginning of January.

"We will be back again. I want to fight and try to deliver to make people proud. Of course, if they (the fans) help us it will be easier, that's for sure. If they help us to come to the distance that we were, it will be shorter. They are human beings, and they want to do it. My players, I know them perfectly. All of them want to do it, and that's enough."