Pep Guardiola during Man City’s Carabao Cup final win against Arsenal (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)
Pep Guardiola has spoken ahead of Manchester City’s big clash with Arsenal this weekend, so what can we learn from the Spanish tactician’s pre-match thoughts?
Man City go into this game six points behind the league leaders, but have a game in hand, and a great chance to chip into that lead with a big clash from Mikel Arteta and co.
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It is being billed by some as the title decider this season, however there are still plenty of games left that could change things either way. Still, there’s no doubt it feels like one of the Premier League’s biggest games in years.
Here are Guardiola’s key points as he spoke to the media before the game and gave details on City’s preparations.
Guardiola looks calmer than Arteta
One interesting quote from Guardiola is his line that he was telling his City players that this is just a game.
“Today I will say to them The players, ‘It’s just a football game’,” he said, “So we have to approach it like a football game.
“It’s really important, but if we get too distracted by emotions, this kind of stuff, then you’ll lose focus. What’s the goal? To play well. That’s exactly what we have to do.”
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Maybe when you’ve already won a lot of titles and don’t have a big lead to lose, there’s some truth to that.
Still, it’s also a huge psychological boost for City, and unlike Arsenal, who have appeared nervous about losing their lead over the past few weeks.
But…you know this game is City’s last chance
Even if Guardiola is relieved, he also knows that the reality is that this is his last real chance to stay in contention for the title.
When asked if he thought this was the ‘last’ of the Premier League title, he replied: “Yes, obviously, if we lose, yes, it’s over.
“But the other two results, knowing that Arsenal did not win against Bournemouth, we still have games to play.
“Six games is a lot, our calendar, bad I can say: Everton away, Bournemouth away, Aston Villa last game at home, Burnley, Crystal Palace, and Brentford. Crystal Palace, look what’s happening! Aston Villa and Crystal Palace in Europe. There are many things to do.”
Guardiola enjoys watching Arsenal play
Is this a mind game or just praising a direct rival? Whatever he thinks afterwards, Guardiola has hit back at some of Arsenal’s critics, saying he enjoys watching them.
“People want a lot; from the media, fans, everyone. I enjoy watching them. I learn a lot from many things,” he said.
“And the people, what they want is to win. And we are fighting in a really important part not to fight again; 22 years without winning the Premier League. In that aspect, we will not fight. They have something that makes them different.”
Arsenal have come under some criticism this season for being overly defensive and relying too much on set pieces, and we can expect that kind of approach in this weekend’s game.
It should be remembered, however, that that is how Guardiola himself started at the Emirates Stadium earlier this season.
What are your predictions for this big game? Let us know in the comments!
