Pep Guardiola promises Manchester City will improve to match pace-setting Liverpool and Chelsea

City, the reigning Premier League champions, are two points off the top after four games

Pep Guardiola has promised that his Manchester City side will improve and match Liverpool and Chelsea, the new Premier League season’s early pace-setters.

City enter the first international break of the season two points off the lead having edged past a stubborn Newcastle United at the Etihad on Saturday, a week on from a frustrating draw away to Wolverhampton Wanderers.

The defending champions predictably dominated Newcastle but were not clinical in front of goal and required Kyle Walker’s second-half thunderbolt to take all three points after DeAndre Yedlin had cancelled out Raheem Sterling’s opener.

Guardiola, however, is more than happy with how his side has started their title defence and is he not surprised that Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool and Maurizio Sarri’s Chelsea have taken maximum points from their opening four games.

“We have the same points as this time last season,” he said, recalling City’s 10 points from a possible 12 this time last year. “Our opponents have more points than then, Chelsea had dropped points and Liverpool a few. We knew [their quality].

“We want to be at our best level but I am so surprised at what happened last season. You never know how you’re going to react when coming back in terms of consistency.

“We beat Chelsea in the Community Shield and in general in the four games we were better than the four teams. That’s what we are looking for: to be better. Sometimes we win, sometimes not.

“To be better is to control, create more chances and concede fewer. In the four – even the Community Shield – it is what happened.”

Guardiola added: “We will improve. It’s impossible after the World Cup mentally for the players to be in the best condition, the best approach. We need more time and after the international break the season starts properly in terms of having games every three days.

“The mums and dads bring their kids into the schools, they have more order, and we start again. I’m delighted with the points and the way we played.”

When asked what ‘percentage’ his side were currently performing at, Guardiola could not say. “I don’t know,” he replied. “We’ll improve, I have no doubts about that.”

Victories at the Etihad under Guardiola rarely come by as a little as one goal, but Benitez’s Newcastle – inspired by goalkeeper Martin Dubravka – managed to keep City from winning emphatically.

Walker's fabulous strike made the difference for City (Getty)

Three, four and five-goal hauls have become so common for City that some supporters may now expect them.

“We cannot affect that,” Guardiola said. “I’m not going to say not to expect it. The players know what we have to do at this part of the process, we’ve spoken about it many times. Try to follow what we are saying and how we prepare.

“If we score more goals it’s a consequence of the way we played. Last season was never went anywhere saying how many we had to score. Just to be better. That’s the target.

“This period – these five official games [four Premier League matches and the Community Shield] – it’s happened. We would like to score more goals but we created the chances.”