Guardiola and Neville agree over Arsenal title problem that benefits Man City
Manchester City closed the gap to Arsenal to six points after their 3-0 win over Chelsea, with both Gary Neville and Pep Guardiola highlighting City’s advantage
Pep Guardiola has time to work with his players(Image: Rob Newell – CameraSport, CameraSport via Getty Images)
The battle to win the Premier League is intensifying after Manchester City narrowed the deficit to Arsenal ahead of their meeting next Sunday. Pep Guardiola’s team swept aside Chelsea 3-0 and have their attention entirely concentrated on the Gunners next week.
The Catalan manager and Gary Neville reckon that extra preparation time could prove crucial, with Arsenal occupied by their Champions League quarter-final against Sporting CP this week. The north London outfit hold a one-goal lead heading into that encounter as they host their Portuguese visitors at the Emirates.
Mikel Arteta faces a defining week as they subsequently travel to the Etihad, having recently suffered defeat to City in the Carabao Cup final. The teams are divided by six points following this weekend’s victory, with Guardiola’s men possessing a game in hand.
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Gary Neville reckons City will be sensing an opportunity. “We have an enormous game next Sunday, one that will define the Premier League season,” he said on Sky Sports.
“Man City smell blood. They’re heading into a free week to prepare for a monstrous clash that Pep Guardiola will relish on Sunday afternoon.”
After the triumph over Chelsea, Guardiola recognised the additional time between fixtures has already delivered benefits for City. “We have long weeks now, being out of the Champions League,” he said.
“We are more fresh, training everybody, people understand more what to do. That’s the reality.”
City’s players appear determined to shift their focus swiftly to Arsenal following their victory over the Blues. Goalscorer Jeremy Doku was emphatic that his side would be ready to take on the Gunners.
“First of all, recover, then just analyse Arsenal again, think about what my task is going to be, look at their weaknesses and strengths and believe that we did it already,” he said.
“They will come with hunger. They don’t want to just give it to us so we have to go and take it. Trust me, we’ll be well prepared.”
Addressing the significance of the upcoming clash, he added: “If you win this game, it is a big punch towards them. If you lose, it’s in their hands and we have to wait for them to lose.
“But if we win, it’s in our hands and I prefer to have it in my hands.”
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