Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has claimed that no football gets played in the middle of the pitch during Premier League matches.

Guardiola arrived at the Etihad Stadium with a philosophy of passing football but so far, it has not proven effective with City still having work to do in order to qualify for next season's Champions League.

However, ahead of his team's contest with Crystal Palace, the Spaniard insists that the style of play did not come as a surprise to him.

The 46-year-old told reporters: "In this league, everything happens in the boxes. In other leagues, the people in the middle take care of the process. Here, nothing happens in the middle.

"It's no surprise because I was a fan of the Premier League as a teenager, as an adult, as a player and as a manager."

Guardiola has only won 19 of his 34 matches in charge of Man City in England's top flight.