Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has demanded flawless results in their remaining Premier League matches to stand a chance of winning the trophy once more amid the title race with Arsenal.
The Cityzens have emerged as a formidable team in the league in recent years. Pep Guardiola has effectively transformed them into a dominant force in the English Premier League. Over his seven-year tenure in England, the ex-Barcelona and Bayern Munich manager has secured the league title five times.
He missed out on winning the trophy in his first season, finishing in fourth place. However, he won the title in the following season and successfully led his team to another victory in the subsequent season.
Following his consecutive victories in 2018 and 2019, he failed to secure his third title as Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool team dominated the 2020 competition, which was largely held behind closed door due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Interestingly, Liverpool of the 2019-20 season were the most recent team to win the league title other than Manchester City. The Cityzens have emerged victorious in the last three seasons and are currently vying for a fourth consecutive title, which would make them the first top-flight team in history to achieve such a feat.
Pep Guardiola’s team is competing against Mike Arteta’s squad in the title race for the second year in a row, and the City manager emphasized the importance of flawless performance from his players. He stressed that the title could slip away if they do not secure victories in all of the remaining league fixtures.
“If we win the games we will be champions, so the players know it, feel it, and have the experience of doing it in the past. But they have to do it again,” he said as reported by Independent Sport.
According to the City manager, the league title is within their grasp, but the slightest error could result in losing it. Hence, despite the challenge of gaining the maximum points, the team must strive to achieve it.
“It’s going to be easy? No. It’s in our hands but everyone knows you cannot make one little mistake because you will lose the Premier League. They know it, we know it.
“You see their level of consistency since the winter break, the way they are playing. It’s not the fact that they are winning, it’s the way they play.”
Manchester City Remaining Fixtures Compared To Arsenal’s Matches
Manchester City must secure a total of nine points in order to become the champions. The Sky Blues have three remaining fixtures to contest, whereas Arsenal, the league leader, only has two matches left to play with an advantage of a point at the league table.
Mikel Arteta’s team will need to prevail over the unpredictable Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday before a decisive final match against Everton. Manchester City on the other hand, will on Saturday take on Fulham before a midweek clash with Tottenharm Hotspur away, following by a matchday 38 match against West Ham United.
While Manchester City will concentrate solely on securing victories in their upcoming matches, Arsenal will be reliant on a potential loss or draw by the reigning league champions in order to have a shot at clinching the title for the first time in two decades.