Pep Guardiola insists the Premier League title race is not over despite Manchester City’s 4-1 win over Arsenal this week.
City took control of the title race after thrashing Arsenal at the Etihad on Wednesday night, a result which saw the champions move two points behind the Gunners with two games in hand.
Despite a huge win for his side, Guardiola insists the title race is far from over as City travel to face Fulham this weekend. He said City are focused on the trip to Craven Cottage and says there has been nothing unusual about the mood in his squad after their Arsenal result.
“It is normal; nothing special. We did a recovery session, then it is a day off today,” Guardiola told his pre-match press conference.
“We are preparing for Fulham, to see what they do. Their pattern is clear because they’ve been together a few years. I’m only concerned about that. It is normal we have so many games with so many competitions, but winning games helps to be ready and we have another opportunity on Sunday.
“Fulham are exceptional; Aleksandar Mitrovic is an important player and he is unavailable but they are a well organised team. We need to be intense and aggressive.”
Guardiola refuted suggestions the title race was over and says his team must maintain focus across the run-in. The Spaniard believes that there are no guarantees across the final weeks as teams across the division battle for vital points.
“People are saying it is over; it is not,” he said. “It will be over when it is over, but it is not over. We have seven games; I saw the first 20 minutes at Goodison Park, how good [Everton] were [against Newcastle]. We are in games where everyone is fighting for something.
“I saw what happened when we won at the Emirates and everyone said we would catch Arsenal, then we drew at Nottingham Forest. Fulham have a special stadium and an organised team. We will take nothing for granted. There are seven games left; it is not 20 games, but seven games is seven games.”
Guardiola discussed his belief in his squad and said his ‘trust’ in the squad does not depend on results.
“If we were third in the league, 10 points behind a hypothetical leader, I would still trust my players. That does not depend on results.
“After seven years together, it doesn’t depend on the results. We have good momentum; the feeling is good but we have to prove it again.”
