Manchester City’s coach Pep Guardiola has stressed that his team’s focus is on Newcastle United this weekend and not the ebb and flow of the English Premier League table.
Arsenal drew 2-2 away at Wolves on Wednesday, meaning City would go just two points behind the Gunners with a victory over the Magpies tonight at 10:00pm SA time. Arsenal is leading the charts at the top of the EPL, with City breathing heavily down their necks.
With a home clash with Mikel Arteta’s men to come in April, Guardiola was asked whether his team now had confidence that adding another trophy to the cabinet was possible. And according to the City website, the Spaniard insisted there was a long way to go, and that his immediate thoughts were on Eddie Howe’s team this weekend.
“I didn’t speak one second about that with my players,” he told media at his pre-match press conference on Friday.
“Yesterday and the day before it’s just Newcastle, Newcastle and Newcastle. I didn’t talk about the table, I didn’t talk about the position or something like that. I couldn’t care less. It’s 12 games left, it is an eternity, so many things are going to happen. That is the only truth I have.”
Meanwhile, and after their heartbreaking and disappointing 2-2 draw against Wolverhampton Wanderers midweek, Arsenal will have to respond positively and magnificently when they face a Tottenham Hotspur side that has been blowing hot and cold in the English Premier League (EPL) on Sunday night. The game will take place at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, and kick-off is at 6:00pm (SA time).
Once again, the Gunners are facing a strong challenge from Guardiola’s men in the league race, and the North London side seem to be folding under pressure. They have been touted as the favourites to finally lift the EPL trophy because of the sublime football they displayed in the league recently and also in Europe in the Champions League.
But now, they have had a serious slump and have only won two of their last seven Premier League games and their draw against Wolves, the team that is anchoring the league from the bottom was most notable – prior to the Wolves stalemate, the Gunners also dropped two points Brentford in a 1-1 draw. Those four dropped points may just come back to haunt the Gunners when the season reaches its conclusion.
