Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola said he is “loving” the Premier League run-in, despite his side no longer controlling their own fate in the title race as they chase leaders Arsenal.
City slashed Arsenal’s lead at the top of the table to two points with three games remaining following their 3-0 thrashing of Brentford on Saturday.
But Guardiola’s team need Arsenal to drop points during their final three games if they are to win the league title.
“It’s not in our hands now,” Guardiola said. “They have to
drop points. The only thing we can do is win again and see what
happens.”
Guardiola said win or lose, the thrilling race to the finish
has been thoroughly enjoyable.
He pointed to his team’s consistency as their unbeaten run
in the league stretches back to mid-January while they also
secured the League Cup title. With another major final still to
come — the FA Cup against Chelsea on May 16 — City have had
plenty to celebrate this season, regardless of how the Premier
League finishes.
“I love it. I love to be here again, we’ll finish second
again in this season, minimum,” Guardiola said. “Last season, we
were fighting to qualify for the Champions League, was so
difficult.
“I love too Carabao (League Cup) in our pocket. We play an
FA Cup final in Wembley, it is the most beautiful game of the
season.”
City face a demanding schedule, with a home game against
Crystal Palace on Wednesday, a trip to Bournemouth on May 19
before the season finale against Aston Villa at the Etihad
Stadium.
“So our calendar is really, really demanding. But it’s
simple, it’s just two weeks, and the season will be over,” he
said. “At the end, you can lose, but we’ll try to do our job,
and we see what happens.”
The Spaniard dismissed any suggestion of tension, praising
his players’ spirit and work ethic deep into the campaign.
“Tension? No, no,” he said. “When you arrive, I have the
feeling that the job had been good, well done.
“When you arrive there, fighting against Arsenal and being
there all the time, after so many changes, the spirit of the
team, how they help each other, how, in every training — I see
that behind the scenes, you cannot see it — it is a joy to work
with them, and how they fight.”
Source: Khaleej Times