Premier League: Guardiola hails 'incredible' rivals as title race goes down to the wire
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola celebrates after a match. – Reuters File
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola knows all about Premier League title battles that go down to the wire and said his side’s main rivals this season Arsenal were playing at the same level as Liverpool did when they pushed them in recent races.
Defending champions City are a point behind Arsenal in the Premier League but have a game in hand on the North London club who have only two matches left.
Arsenal faded away in the title race last year but they have been at City’s heels this season, just as Juergen Klopp’s Liverpool were in the 2021-22 and 2018-19 campaigns — where City pipped the Merseyside club to the title by a single point.
“They have been the same level of Liverpool those years. The same level, both teams (Liverpool and Arsenal). They have both been incredible,” Guardiola told reporters ahead of Saturday’s league trip to Fulham.
When asked if he would support Manchester United this weekend when their city rivals host Arsenal, Guardiola smiled and said: “I am a Man City fan and I will try to beat Fulham, that is my only concern.”
Guardiola said there were no worries on the injury front, praising the club’s medical department, but rued the fact that they were no longer in the Champions League, saying he did not see the extra rest as beneficial in the title race.
“I would have preferred to be in the Champions League semi-final, but congratulations to both teams who are in the final,” he said.
There were concerns all was not well between Guardiola and top scorer Erling Haaland after the striker was unhappy with his substitution following his four-goal haul against Wolverhampton Wanderers last week, but the manager brushed it aside.
Haaland is leading the race for the Golden Boot, for most goals in the season, with 25 strikes, four ahead of Chelsea’s Cole Palmer.
“He loves to score, like all strikers, like any striker. But his contribution since he’s been here has been magnificent,” Guardiola said.
“The numbers are here. Not just the numbers, many other things.”