Pep Guardiola cautions that anything is possible as Manchester City maintain control of their fate in the race for the Premier League title.
Pep Guardiola, the esteemed manager of Manchester City, expressed his belief that his team has four crucial matches left in the Premier League. This statement came after their triumphant victory over Nottingham Forest, which kept their hopes of securing a fourth consecutive title alive. The visitors emerged victorious with a 2-0 win at the City Ground, thanks to goals from Josko Gvardiol and Erling Haaland.
This triumph narrowed the gap between Manchester City and table-toppers Arsenal to just one point. Earlier on Sunday, Arsenal had defeated Spurs 3-2 in the highly anticipated north London derby. However, Manchester City still have a game in hand over Mikel Arteta’s side, and if they emerge victorious in all their remaining fixtures, they will secure the top spot.
Despite their advantageous position, Guardiola remains cautious and refuses to take anything for granted in the title race. He even suggested that Liverpool, currently sitting third and four points behind City, could still emerge as champions, despite having played an extra match.
In an interview with Sky Sports, Guardiola stated, “Everything can happen. We still have four games, three games for them (Arsenal). What happened to Liverpool, dropping a few points in the last games, can happen to us and can happen to Arsenal. So tough games for everyone. We have Fulham away, Spurs away, which is really, really difficult. Now we have two or three days to recover, the players can rest and prepare for the four finals that we have and the FA Cup final.”
The match against Nottingham Forest was not without its challenges for Manchester City. Gvardiol opened the scoring in the 32nd minute, but Forest had several opportunities to equalize, with Chris Wood missing a notable chance. Haaland, who came off the bench in the second half, secured the victory for City with his goal.
Reflecting on the game, Guardiola acknowledged the difficulty they faced, stating, “It was a difficult game, we knew it. So difficult. They played with bravery, they have incredible fast players and a lot of quality. We found a goal when in that moment we were 10 against 11, we were lucky. The pitch conditions, they missed a lot of chances for that reason. Great victory, because we had a lot of games behind us, but now we have a long week to recover.”
With their sights set on the remaining fixtures and the FA Cup final, Manchester City will now take the opportunity to rest and prepare for the challenges that lie ahead.