Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola says they're playing like relegation candidates.

He felt the champions underperformed in the first half of Saturday's 3-0 win over Aston Villa.

"If we play like we did in the first half, we will be relegated or in the relegation positions," he said after second-half goals from Raheem Sterling, David Silva and Ilkay Gundogan secured victory.

Had they not won, Guardiola suggested he may not have been as forthright in his criticism.

The Spaniard said: "One word I hate is the word 'complain', so normally when I say something not nice it's after a victory. I would never say it after a defeat.

"We were punished in some defeats and I shut my mouth, I didn't say anything, so it is what it is."