Author – Amrit Santlani
Manchester City beat Arsenal 4-1 at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday to move within two points of Mikel Arteta’s side, who have also played two games more than the champions. Pep Guardiola says City are close to retaining the title, which is practically “in their hands”, after beating their north London rivals thanks to two goals from Kevin de Bruyne and strikes from John Stones and Erling Haaland.
The Spaniard, who will have to produce another ‘masterclass’ next month against Real Madrid in the Champions League to keep City’s hopes alive in the European championship.
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With seven games left in the Premier League, Man City have relatively easier games to end the season, with Chelsea being the only more relevant match, than Arsenal, who have to face Chelsea and Newcastle.
Speaking to the press after the big game against Arsenal at the Etihad, Guardiola insisted that his team remains focused as they still have to face West Ham, Leeds and Fulham.
“We can’t lose focus. It’s in our hands now. The next three games will dictate whether we can do what we want. The reality is that we’re still behind Arsenal. It won’t be easy for us, but it’s game by game and we’ll see what happens. When it’s in our hands, we have to use it.” said the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich coach.
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Even though they have a slightly easier game than Arsenal, Guardiola insisted that he would demand nothing less than victories from his players, who know that just winning all their remaining games would solve Man City’s problem.
“The players know it’s tight and we need to win to stay in contention. That mentality that you have no choice but to win is the best mentality to play with. The players showed that they go into every match trying to win” he added.
The reigning Premier League champions also have an FA Cup final against Manchester United, as well as a Champions League semi-final against Real Madrid to play for in addition to the league title.