Pep Guardiola warns Man City stars not to let their intensity levels drop

Premier League champions still have FA Cup and Champions League finals to come

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has warned his players not to become complacent after they clinched their their Premier League title in a row. Getty

Pep Guardiola has warned his Manchester City players not to let their standards slip after their Premier League triumph.

City have already clinched their third title in a row but still have massive games to come in the FA Cup final and Champions League final.

They won their fifth Premier League crown in six seasons after Nottingham Forest beat their closest challengers Arsenal on Sunday.

Guardiola's side celebrated retaining the trophy after their 1-0 win over Chelsea at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday.

They must now travel to Brighton in the league on Wednesday before taking on Brentford at home on the last day of the season.

But with finals against Manchester United and Inter Milan still to come as they chase a historic Treble, Guardiola warned his players against letting their motivation levels drop.

“They have the party after the [Chelsea] game. I don’t know how they feel,” said Guardiola.

“They have to be ready to run a lot. The best way to prepare for the final is be ready. The players set the standards, they have to maintain it.

“It’s normal the energy would drop. Arsenal play for just the Premier League, we have the FA Cup, the Champions League, the energy we spend is massive.

“It’s normal you drop, you have to avoid it or don’t drop much otherwise the two teams [Brighton and Brentford] can hurt us.

“Play our game, adapt the way we play, arrive to United and Inter in the best condition possible.”

Guardiola made nine changes against Chelsea on Sunday, starting the game without 52-goal striker Erling Haaland, Kevin De Bruyne, Rodri and John Stones. They came off the bench later in the game while Jack Grealish and Ilkay Gundogan were unused substitutes.

Phil Foden came into the side, while Kalvin Phillips, a £42 million summer signing from Leeds, made his first Premier League start. Goalkeeper Stefan Ortega, Rico Lewis, Sergio Gomez and Cole Palmer were also starters.

Guardiola said his whole squad still have a part to play for the rest of the season.

“Everyone can have influence, sometimes five minutes is as important as the rest,” he said. “Everyone has been important, everyone has been involved in the fact we are where we are.”

Guardiola cautioned against underestimating a Brighton side who have qualified for Europe for the first time in their history.

“Congratulations for Brighton for this incredible achievement for the Europa League,” he said.

“Pay attention to what I’m going to say. I’m pretty convinced I’m right in what I’m saying: I think Roberto [Zerbi] is one of the most influential managers in the last 20 years.

“There is no team playing the way they play, it’s unique. I have the feeling when he arrived the impact he would have in the Premier League would be great – I didn’t expect them to do it in this short space of time.

“If you don’t play at a high level he can do whatever he wants against you. They deserve completely the compliments and the success they have, one of the teams I try to learn a lot from.

“Brighton is the master of passing the ball to the man free, but also when to pass to the free man.

“They move at the right time, this is the best at the world, for the right tempo and the free man.”