Pep Guardiola: Arsenal's title fight is “easy” compared to Manchester City | pep guardiola
Pep Guardiola says Arsenal's visit is “the final” of his title race, with city of manchester The manager says his team's attempt to retain the Premier League is much more difficult than Arsenal's “easy” task of becoming champions after so many years.
City are one point behind Arsenal, who lead Liverpool on goal difference, with 10 games remaining. Mikel Arteta's team won the October second leg 1-0 seeking the club's first league title since 2004 and Guardiola is aware of how crucial Sunday's game is as he aims to lead City to a record fourth consecutive championship.
“People can't imagine how hard it is, they can't realize it for a second,” he said. “Fighting for a title you haven't won in many years is 'wow, it's easy.' But now to be there (competing) for many, many years is 'wow'. The reference point for the new generations of this club, for what we have done, is really good.”
Guardiola believes Arsenal and Liverpool will not drop many points. “The quality that Liverpool, Arsenal also have to win, I don't know how many games in a row, score a lot of goals, the quality that they play, so I don't believe it,” he said when asked if City's rivals would do it. falter. “I know my team when the end is approaching, they do everything, they (Arsenal and Liverpool) will do it too. That's why Sunday is absolutely the final.”
The experience of winning the title is not enough for Guardiola, whose team will follow Sunday's match with the visit of Aston Villa. “It doesn't matter what you've done in the past in sports. The past is the past,” he stated. “What matters now is Arsenal and then Aston Villa. You won't beat them if you think about the past and what you've done before.
“Of course what we have done before is important, but I did not expect to get where we are now (in the race). But after more than 20 years, Arsenal have not won the first division, then they will have something to prove and that is normal. “When Liverpool won the title after many years (in 2020), that gives you something special.”
The first of City's five titles under Guardiola came in 2017-18, his second season. “In our first year, it was like, 'Oh God, we're going to give everything in every game to win the Premier League,'” he said. “But what we have to do is be ourselves.”
