City have 10 matches remaining in their Premier League season.
Guardiola says he side must treat every single game as a “final”, starting with the visit of Brighton, who are just one point behind City, to the Etihad next Saturday.
“We have 10 games to qualify,” Guardiola said.
“We have to win games to qualify and we move on to the next one.
“Every season the Premier League gets better and better. We have 10 finals [to come].
“We don’t win enough games in a row to be secure. We have to do something, it doesn’t come from the sky.”
City spent more than £180m in the January transfer window, bringing in the likes of Nico Gonzalez and Omar Marmoush.
But the side’s form has remained inconsistent, with City winning four and losing five of their nine matches since the close of the window.
Former Manchester United captain Rio Ferdinand feels the January signings are suffering from the team’s instability.
“I don’t think they brought in bad players but they have just come in in less stable times,” Ferdinand told TNT Sports.
“You cant bet against Man City, they have the players and the manager.”
