'It wasn't sarcastic, it was the truth' Pep Guardiola has explained hos comment that Manchester City's remarkable winning run was down to the money they have spent. He explained on Friday that there was far more to his team's consistency than simple hard cash - he says that it would be impossible to sustain success without financial backing. The difference is, he points out, that the established elite NEVER get pulled up on the amount they have spent, even though it is a central factor in their years of dominance. Guardiola had everyone wondering whether he was being honest, or just being sarcastic when he said – after City had made it 19 wins on the bounce against Borussia Monchengladbach - that the run was down to having enough money to buy the best players. He was asked to expand on that in today's press conference and admitted that there are other factors, but that he was being honest.