Pep Guardiola has told Mikel Arteta that he has an “easy job” in the title race compared to Manchester City as he steps up his mental games ahead of Sunday’s crunch clash with Arsenal.
Arsenal will face champions City at the Etihad Stadium hoping to take another decisive step towards their first Premier League title in 20 years.
City, which has won five of the last six Premier Leagues, aims to become the first English team to win four consecutive titles.
But Guardiola claimed the motivation that comes with trying to end a long title drought gives Arsenal an advantage similar to the advantage it gave Liverpool in the 2019/20 season when the Merseyside club finally ended their 30-year title wait.
“I have said it thousands of times, the biggest success of this club and organization is that we have been there for many years. “People can’t even imagine how difficult this is,” the mayor said.
“To fight for a championship you haven’t won in years is to say, ‘Wow, that’s easy.’ But now being here for so many years and still being there it’s ‘Wow’.
“This is a reference point for the new generations at this club because [what we have done] really good.
“I honestly didn’t expect to be here [with] The problems we are experiencing this season stem from the fact that we are in this position right now.
“And we want to extend it. We want to try to stay here longer, but that’s the most complicated thing.”
City are now a point behind Arsenal and Liverpool, who played Brighton earlier in the day, and Guardiola says no one should underestimate the motivation of Arteta and his players to end a two-decade title wait.
“Of course it is important what we did before, but as I said after the last international break, I did not expect to get to where we are now,” Guardiola said.
“But after more than 20 years Arsenal haven’t won the Premier League, so they will have something to prove and that’s normal. When Liverpool win the title for Jurgen after so many years [Klopp] This gives you something special.
“In our first year [in 2017/18 winning the title]It was like, ‘Oh my God, we’re going to give everything in every game to win the Premier League.’
“But what we have to do is [this] The game is to be ourselves. Our players will bring what they need just like they do [in the 3-1 win] against [Manchester] United – to put in a good performance.”
City have had a disappointing performance against the top six this season. Aside from wins at home and away against United, the champions are yet to beat any of their main Premier League rivals this term, and they are yet to lose to Arsenal in October, albeit not because influential midfielders Rodri and Kevin De Bruyne are suspended and injured. They lost -0. respectively.
“The past is the past. “I didn’t know about this statistic,” Guardiola said. “Normally our statistics are good but if this is the truth, it doesn’t say how we played in some matches.
“[In the 3-3 draw] We were really good against Tottenham. We won both games against United. At home against Liverpool [1-1 draw] We played incredibly well, but we couldn’t win.
“I don’t pay attention to the top six or top seven teams. Now we play against Arsenal and if we win they can’t win; so we need to start winning important matches to get that advantage.
“Of course [the record against the top six] has to change. “To win the Premier League you need to win almost all the games because I don’t think Arsenal or Liverpool will drop too many points.”
Guardiola talks 7-minute fixture list
Guardiola launched into a seven-minute tirade about City’s April schedule as a controversial fixture list cast a shadow over the club’s chances of a second successive Treble.
The City manager is furious over the scheduling of his team’s FA Cup semi-final against Chelsea at Wembley and some of their Premier League matches next month.
Guardiola also claims the March international break needs to be “rethought” after missing Kyle Walker and John Stones from Sunday’s title clash with Arsenal due to injuries sustained against England, but says he has given up expecting any help from UEFA, FIFA or broadcasters.
City are the only team still playing in Europe in the FA Cup this season but Guardiola is furious they have been overlooked in the planning.
Last season’s Treble winners will face Chelsea at 5.15pm on Sunday, April 20, just three days after their Champions League quarter-final second leg clash with Real Madrid at the Etihad.
Manchester United and Coventry City will compete for the other semi-final a day later, although they are not in the competition that midweek.
‘Why don’t we play on Sunday?’
City, who play the second leg of their Champions League last-eight tie on Wednesday, will meet in the FA Cup semi-finals on Saturday for the fourth successive season, and a furious Guardiola expressed astonishment at the logic.
“We will play against Madrid in the second leg on Wednesday, so we can play in the FA Cup on Saturday or Sunday. Coventry, United, Chelsea are on holiday for a week. So why are we playing on Saturday?” The mayor said.
“We play on Saturday every year. As long as Coventry, Chelsea and United are not playing, why don’t they give us another day? [in the] Champions League or Europa League? Why don’t we play on Sunday?”
Despite beating Sheffield United in last season’s FA Cup semi-final en route to a historic treble, City were beaten by Liverpool and Chelsea in their previous two Wembley encounters at that stage of the competition, following grueling trips to Atletico Madrid and Borussia Dortmund respectively. Champions League three days ago.
“Last year we played in the quarter-finals many times and after playing every Saturday the rematch was on Wednesday,” Guardiola said. “And when you play away at Dortmund, come here on Thursday afternoon and take a train or plane to London in four or five hours on Friday. And on Saturday we’ll play against Liverpool, Chelsea or other incredible teams. We’re exhausted.”
‘Are we going to fight for broadcasters?’
Guardiola was also baffled by the scheduling of City’s Premier League matches next week; They host Aston Villa on Wednesday at 8.15pm and then travel to South London three days later to play Crystal Palace at 12.30pm.
In contrast, Real Madrid play Athletic Bilbao on Sunday and do not play again until City visit the Bernabeu nine days later.
“Okay Aston Villa, we play next Wednesday at 8.15am and Saturday at 12.30pm. [against Crystal Palace]” said Guardiola.
“And after going to Madrid on Tuesday. Madrid has nine days to prepare for our match. Nine days! They are playing this weekend and won’t play again until our game. ‘Oh, give me one more day! One more day and the difference is huge!’ But you have no chance.
“Are we going to fight for broadcasters? Answers: I pay a lot of money [to televise the games]. For this reason. That’s why we play on Saturday [against Chelsea]. And after playing on Thursday [at Brighton in the Premier League]. Why don’t we play on Wednesday instead of Thursday and Sunday? [against Nottingham Forest]?”
‘It’s really difficult for my club’
Guardiola said he was struggling to explain why the Premier League was not trying to help its European representatives in the same way their continental counterparts were doing.
“They don’t think about it,” he said. “Do you think ‘Oh play City then…?’ Do they think? Paris Saint-Germain is not playing in France [in Ligue 1] among them [Champions League] quarter final matches. They have time to do this. In Portugal it is usually played on Fridays before the Champions League.
“I don’t know [why England does not help] and I don’t even want to ask because they will have their own business and decisions. I would like to know your answers; Why is it always Saturday and not Sunday? Because one day, at this stage, with injured players and game accumulation, it changes a lot.”
Guardiola said City have often found a way to solve their scheduling problems but believes injuries to key players such as Walker and Stones will make the job even more difficult this season, starting with Arsenal.
“I’m defending my club and it’s really difficult for my club. [playing] “Every three days, every three days, every three days and this is not the case in other clubs,” he said.
“The calendar has always been like this for us. There have always been fewer days to recover and we did it. If the entire squad is in front of you… but that won’t happen in the coming days and weeks. [for us].”
Guardiola believes international matches in March could pose a particular threat ahead of the final two months of the domestic calendar, but he has no expectation that UEFA or FIFA will consider making changes to the programme.
“He needs to reconsider, but he won’t reconsider,” he said. “UEFA has its own business, the broadcasters have their own business. I can give my own opinion.
“I do not want more advantage than the other, we are not desperate for this advantage.
“[But] UEFA and FIFA have a problem with the amount of games. [Club] There is a World Cup at the end of next season. How many teams are there in the Club World Cup, 32?
“To play for three weeks in America is an honour, a pleasure, a lot of money for the club, excellent. Then we will start next season, give the players a week or two off. That’s the problem, more competition, more games and the players get tired.
“That’s why Kevin [De Bruyne] He was injured for five months [this season]It accumulates from season to season.