MANCHESTER, England, Dec 20 (Reuters) - ‌Pep Guardiola struck a balance between congratulating and warning his Manchester City players after their ‌3-0 victory over West Ham United on Saturday lifted them provisionally to the top ‌of the Premier League table.

"I said to the players, 'Merry Christmas but it will not be enough if you will not improve'," the Spaniard said. "It's good to be there (in top spot in the table) but I'm telling you we have to improve our ‍game."