Pep Guardiola warns Man City winning Premier League next year will be 'tougher'

Guardiola saluted his staff at a post-match news conference following his side's 0-0 draw with Huddersfield Town

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola praised his coaching staff for his side's Premier League title win but warned his team to prepare for a "tougher" season next year.

Guardiola toasted his staff at a post-match news conference following his side's 0-0 draw with Huddersfield Town and warned his players that team's would be even more motivated to beat them next season.

"The game showed me how difficult everything is. It looks easy when you've won a lot of games - it's so tough, and next season will be tougher because the opponents want to beat you," Guardiola said in his post-match news conference.

"Maybe we will be a little bit relaxed - and you have to be focused if you want to maintain what we have done this season. Help us to understand, this game for example, how difficult it will be next season. Sport is like this, it's so complicated."

City captain Vincent Kompany was surrounded by coaching staff and fellow players as he lifted the trophy with thousands of fans watching on in the stands.

Guardiola was thrown into the air by his players, an experience he must be used to considering he has now won seven league titles with Barcelona, Bayern Munich and City.

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The champions will have to wait to break the Premier League points record after they were held to a 0-0 draw by relegation-threatened Huddersfield.

The draw means City have 94 points, one short of the season record set by Chelsea back in 2004/05, but they still have two games left to play.

Since winning the title, City have thrashed Swansea City 5-0 and West Ham United 4-1 but they were unable to maintain that intensity against David Wagner's battling side.

The result was hugely unexpected and City will now have to wait until Wednesday's clash against Brighton & Hove Albion at least to set new Premier League records for most wins, goals and points in a season.

Guardiola said: "Here we had time to accept the reality. We won two, three weeks ago. We were surprised how good we maintained our focus. Today for many a reason, we were not able. We have to try to make the last effort."

Huddersfield gave their survival hopes a huge boost with a point that moves them three clear of the bottom three ahead of their midweek trip to Chelsea.