Guardiola's obsessive will to win takes Manchester City to the brink of history | first division

tManchester City fans like it to be known that they are “Not really here”. But while the club finds itself on the brink of history, it is a phrase from Pep Guardiola that offers clarity, explanation; a sense of wonder too.

“We are there,” the City coach has said repeatedly throughout this season and previous ones. His team is pushing once again to secure the Premier League title and has often posited that the very act of being there and competing, the sheer coherence, is the true measure of them, the thing to be celebrated.

Nobody believes that. When a club like City buy as they have, is winning trophies, something Guardiola has clearly done: 16 so far, to be precise. He is the next one who could gild the dynasty. Never in 135 years of the English Football League has a club won four consecutive titles in the top flight. If City can contain Arsenal on Sunday, it would open avenues that have always felt off-limits.

Arsenal has been featured challengers and they are convinced of their approach, if not faith in a City slip, in their final match against Everton at the Emirates. Two points behind City, who host West Ham at the Etihad, and with a better goal difference, they know what they have to do and what a story it would be if it went well.

It's the one many neutrals want, which probably says as much about the suffocating nature of City's dominance as it does the transformative work of Mikel Arteta, who took over as Arsenal manager in December 2019 with the club at a terribly low point.

Arsenal brought City closer last season and this time they have taken them even further; Until the last series of matches, the numbers are impressive. If they beat Everton, they would reach 89 points; Only once did the Gunners finish with more in the first division – the 90 the Invincibles scored in 2003-04, the most recent season in which the club won the title. Arteta's side have set club records for goals scored (89) and wins (27) in a Premier League season.

Arteta's journey has been perfected by increasingly smart recruitment; He witnessed the stellar performances of last summer's signings David Raya and Declan Rice. and Kai Havertz.

Arteta's tirade in the video referee system after Arsenal's 1-0 defeat at Newcastle last November was not to the taste of everyone and the club statement of support his posture attracted ridicule. He was seen as a decisive example of top down unit. The relationship between the team and the fans is reflected in the atmosphere at the Emirates. It hasn't been better since the stadium opened in 2006.

If City are tough in terms of mentality, then Arsenal have made progress in this area. When Rice declared on the eve of his trip to the City at the end of March that he was a “new Arsenal”a club “willing to change what people say”, there were several conclusions.

Rice's words might have resonated with him; He knew it and so did the club's media department. Neither party cared about him. He dominated a collective conviction, the desire to take over the narrative and, by extension, the game. This kind of thing simply hadn't happened in previous seasons; giving players a voice in the newspapers before the biggest games. Others have given interesting interviews. It can be empowering. 0-0 Arsenal at the Etihad was in the points earned category.

The search for danger in City's season has been real, especially in the eyes of Guardiola. After the triple triumph 2023, he was worried about the possibility of getting a hangover. Then came the loss of Kevin De Bruyne for five months to a torn hamstring after 23 minutes of the first league game at Burnley. Erling Haaland has missed two months since early December with a foot injury and Guardiola said on Tuesday night after the 2-0 win at Tottenham that the Norwegian centre-forward was “perhaps not at his best”. City's record against the other teams in the top six has been indifferent (two wins, six draws and two losses) and there have been low periods (the first when Rodri was suspended and they lost consecutive league games against Wolves). and arsenaljust eliminated from the Carabao Cup in Newcastle.

The second culminated in a 2-2 home draw against Crystal Palace in mid-December, when they blew a two-goal lead, after which they headed to Saudi Arabia for the Club World Cup. At the start of the month, with Rodri suspended again, they had lost 1-0 at Aston Villa, having conceded late draws in the previous three league games, against Chelsea, Liverpool and Spurs.

However, the impression with City is that there is not too much friction. Haaland has not reached the heights of his 52 goals in 53 appearances in all competitions last season. He's still 38 for 43, 27 of which have come in the league, practically guaranteeing him another Golden Boot.

City has followed the path and the strongest criticism from its jealous rivals (apart from those who make with the 115 charges) is that, in any case, everything has been too precise and perfect, too easy and, therefore, cold and boring. City are too good, it's not fair, we want to get the ball back and we're going home. When this is the tenor of the speech, City wins. And laughing.

Has Guardiola coached a mentally stronger squad? They asked him the question in the middle of the week. “Yes,” he replied. “Pretty similar. I was in Barcelona and the guys there, friend. Also at Bayern Munich. That's why I was successful. No secrets. It's beyond normal… how they get on again and again and again. And don’t be arrogant to think we’re done.”

It is Guardiola who has harnessed the ruthlessness, imparted his obsessive will to win. He is buried in the muscle memory of players like Ederson, Kyle Walker, John Stones, Bernardo Silva and De Bruyne, veterans of City's first of their five titles in 2017-18; Phil Foden too, who took his first steps into the first team when he was 17 that season. What about Rodri, who has now played 49 Premier League games without losing, seven shy of Arsenal's Sol Campbell's record?

When Arsenal reflect on the season, they will point to the week reset in dubai at the beginning of January as fundamental. Before the break, which included warm-weather training and family time, the team had taken four points from 15 available and lost the FA Cup to Liverpool. Since his return, his league record is: 15 wins, 1 draw and 1 loss.

But whatever any rival does, City tends to go one step further. The Club World Cup came at a good time for them. Since his return from the Middle East, his league record is: 17 wins, 3 draws and 0 losses.

Regular City watchers believe the club Last season's Champions League victory It has taken some of the pressure off Guardiola. For example, he has seemed more relaxed in his press conferences. He was also noted to have seemed to enjoy renewed enthusiasm following Jürgen Klopp's announcement at the end of January that he would leave Liverpool at the end of the season.

Guardiola has not only overcome Liverpool's title fight, but he has also done the same with his greatest adversary. And so he continues to dive into one of those gut-busting runs down the stretch, the kind Klopp knows all too well. Arsenal have a prediction on their side. The last team to win the title after starting the final day below first place was Arsenal in 1988-89, when they beat first-place Liverpool at Anfield. The dynamic is different this time. Only City is in control of its destiny. How Guardiola likes it.