Manchester City captain Bernardo Silva claimed Arsenal have offered them unexpected hope of winning a seventh Premier League crown under Pep Guardiola.
Silva admitted that City’s form – failing to win any of their first four games of the calendar year – should have seen them fall away in the title race.
But Arsenal’s two draws and defeat by Manchester United last weekend means the gap is only four points, with the teams meeting at the Etihad Stadium in April.
Mikel Arteta’s side go to Leeds on Saturday to face a team that has lost just one of their last 10 games, while City are at Tottenham a day later.
‘I’ve recently said that both teams would still drop points, but unfortunately we started the year in a negative form as we could’ve gained an emotional advantage and we didn’t,’ Silva said.
‘And then they could’ve distanced themselves from us even further but they didn’t, so they gave us a bit of hope.’
Silva referenced the lack of title experience of Arsenal, who have finished second in each of the past three seasons.
‘Liverpool have won two league titles and we have won six in my time in England, so I’ve never experienced Arsenal winning the league,’ he added.
‘But the truth is that at the moment they’re in a better position than us. There’s still a lot of games to be played and every season is different. Without a doubt we still have hope and ambition to fight for this Premier League.’
The 31-year-old also refused to be drawn on his future ahead of his contract expiring in the summer. Benfica and Chicago Fire are among those who want to sign Silva and Juventus have looked at the possibility of a deal.
‘I have an idea (of what will happen), but it’s not a good time to speak about it,’ Silva said.
