Pep Guardiola warned that victory in Sunday’s title showdown against Arsenal will not cement Manchester City as favourites amid fears of a ‘terrible’ run in.
The City boss, who admitted that defeat on Sunday would spell the end of their hopes of regaining the crown, has pointed towards a tricky sequence of fixtures to finish the season.
Despite winning only one of their last five in all competitions, Arsenal do boast a more favourable set of games before the end of May and Guardiola is mindful of placing too much importance on their meeting this weekend.
‘If we lose, it is over,’ Guardiola said. ‘But we still have games to play, six games is a lot. Our calendar is terrible – Everton away, Bournemouth away, Aston Villa the last game at home.
‘And Crystal Palace, Brentford. Still there are many things to do. We don’t know what is going to happen and six, seven or eight games ago maybe we didn’t have that [positive] feeling.
‘We were there [in the title race] but after the games against Nottingham Forest and West Ham last month I said no, we ran away.’
Guardiola – who insisted that he enjoys watching Arsenal play – has seen his City team grow stronger as the campaign has progressed and believes performances over recent weeks gives them confidence going into the final stretch.
‘If we play like the second half [of the Carabao Cup final] during 95 minutes, and they play like their second half during 95 minutes, we are going to win,’ he added.
‘Well, maybe not, because football is unpredictable. But we will be closer. That is what we want. We have to do a perfect performance.
‘What we cannot fight against is their 22 years without winning the Premier League, so they have something that is unique.
‘One aspect is the confidence. That is an incredible aspect and if you could buy it in the supermarket we would go there and buy it immediately. It’s one of the most important aspects and the reality is seven games left for us in the league and this is the decisive moment.’
Guardiola said: ‘I will say to the players, “it’s just a football game”. So we have to approach it like a [normal] game.
‘It’s really important, of course, but if we are distracted too much by emotions, this kind of things, after you will lose the focus. What is the target? It’s the perform well. That is exactly what we have to do.’
