Pep Guardiola reveals 'the best decision I made' as Man City enter key stage in Premier League title race with Arsenal

Guardiola pleased with Bernardo captain decision

As City approach the final stretch of the season there is a widespread feeling that Bernardo Silva will be playing his final few games with the club before leaving when his contract expires in June. Guardiola's assistant Pep Lijnders let it slip last week that Bernardo was leaving although the coach said on Friday that the player had not yet told him that was the case.

He told a press conference: "I'm so angry with Bernardo because a month ago I said 'If you take a decision you have to be the first to tell me' and he didn't say to me anything yet. I think the proper one [to announce the decision] must be Bernardo. I said, joking, tell me I deserve it but he didn't tell me so I don't know what's going on."

However, Guardiola did agree that Silva, who is the longest-serving player in his entire coaching career, had been an incredible servant for the club and he said he felt vindicated about naming the Portuguese his club captain at the start of the season.

He told a press conference: "Yes, it was the best decision I made this season. The previous ones have been good too. Everyone is everyone but the captain is simple. If you think that the team comes first, sometimes the politician says something like that – the country comes first but then after it never comes first – but with Bernardo it is what it is. Most of the captains I had, always you have to think what the team requires and not all of them can be possible. Normally it happens in the good moments the team comes first, but in the bad moments is when you have to be, when it's against you personally and you put the team and the club and the organisation first and not all of them were able to do that."

'He has a fire inside'

Guardiola said Silva stood out the most during last year's nightmare season, when he remained fit while the rest of the squad was ravaged by injury and stood tall when the team went on a late run of wins which ensured they finished third in the Premier League table.

The coach explained: "Last season was the biggest example. Last season was the toughest one – I don't need to explain the reason why, everyone knows it – and he was always there, leading by example playing and training good. He is not the tallest one, the most muscular one, or score 50 goals or make 50 assists a season. These are the type of players that are spotlighted and everyone talks about. From nine years, I know him quite well and for what a manager requires.

"All managers would say how much they love him because he is incredibly competitive, has a fire inside him always. In the toughest moments and on the biggest stages, he is always there. I have said many times, in the big games it is not about playing good or bad, it is about being yourself and being not afraid. Bernie has had all these attributes this since day one when he arrived from Monaco."

The coach was asked so many questions about Silva during the press conference that he joked "I didn't realise this was his farewell press conference."

'His decision'

Silva said during the international break that the only thing preventing him from staying at City even longer was having to live in Manchester rather than in southern Europe. "I always joke and say that if Man City was located in the south of Europe I would stay here until they kick my ass out," he said. "The other side of my life, it’s different because I’m not saying that I don’t like, but culturally it’s not 100 per cent what I would ideally want in my life."

Guardiola said that he would ideally like Silva to remain at City beyond the summer but made it clear he will respect the player's decision if he does leave. The coach added: "He has been an incredible signing for us, incredible. I love this club amazingly and I would love if he could stay and finish his career here but I do not know. He will decide what he will decide and announce to the club and the media and the fans. It is his decision. He has been an incredible signing with the numbers, minutes, the titles and especially in the bad moments. I judge players when everything is difficult and he always steps up and says he is here to help."

Guardiola sets points target to win title

City visit Chelsea on Sunday, by when they could be 12 points behind Arsenal in the title race albeit with two games in hand and with the potential to further reduce the gap when they host the Gunners the following week. City usually click into gear in April, averaging 2.5 points per game in the month under Guardiola.

But with such a big gap behind Arsenal, the coach believes City will have to win all of their remaining games to stand a chance of winning the title. He said: "Hopefully we can make a lot of points. The situation that we are in in the Premier League, we need to win all of them otherwise it will not give us a chance to try until the end. We were not consistent enough, we drop points and we know that we should take it. That's why we are in a position that now we cannot do differently."