Manchester City Manager Pep Guardiola has rejected suggestions that Arsenal would be undeserving Premier League champions because of their reliance on set-piece goals, but insisted he's happy that his Manchester City team are able to find different ways to score.

He comments came amidst criticism, notably from former Manchester United midfielder Paul Scholes, who controversially claimed Arsenal would be "the worst team to ever win the Premier League" if they lifted the trophy using such tactics.

Arsenal, under Mikel Arteta, has the division's set-piece specialists with Mikel Arteta's side scoring a league-high 24 goals from free-kicks, corners and throw-ins.

Guardiola, however, says he "doesn't agree" and that Arsenal have every right to employ any tactic they think can help them win the title.

He emphasized that both the manager and players would be content, and Arsenal fans would undoubtedly not want to alter their effective set-piece approach, feeling confident about scoring from such situations.

Although Arsenal and Manchester City are just five points apart at the top of the Premier League, their scoring styles differ.

City scores mostly from open play(84.2% of goals) and few from set pieces (only nine), while Arsenal relies more on set-piece goals, with a lower percentage from open play (58.6%).

Pep Guardiola said set pieces are more important in modern football, and he now pays more attention to them than at Barcelona.

He explained that corners and free-kicks often create chaos and second-ball chances.

When reminded that Manchester City doesn’t score many set-piece goals, he simply said, “Good,” showing he’s happy with how his team currently scores.

Guardiola emphasized his main goal: scoring matters more than style.

He said, “I never prepared a plan to be beautiful… you have to score goals, and how you do it doesn’t matter.”

For him, whether a goal comes from a corner, free-kick, or open play, the joy is the same and what counts is putting the ball in the net.