Guardiola Manchester City says the “real season starts now” as City aim to close the gap on Arsenal after recent Premier League results
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has declared that the “real season starts now” as his side looks to close the gap on Premier League leaders Arsenal.
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City returned from the recent international break four points behind the Gunners, buoyed by a 3-0 victory over champions Liverpool and Arsenal’s 2-2 draw at Sunderland.
Guardiola stressed the importance of maintaining pressure on an “impeccable” Arsenal while cautioning that the campaign remains in its early stages.
“The feeling that I had in the past when we fought incredibly against Liverpool, I had the feeling that we would not drop many points, and if they can take a lot of distance, it will be difficult to catch up,” Guardiola said.
He compared the situation to Liverpool’s dominant title-winning campaign last season.
The City boss, who has won the Premier League six times, noted that nothing is decided in November.
He described two phases of the season: the period immediately following the summer transfer window and the stretch after the international break.
“Now the international break is done, so we’ll be together until March, see each other every three days, four days. Now the real, real season starts,” he said.
Guardiola added that the aim is to remain close to the leaders and enter the final stages of the season with a chance to compete for the title.
City face a trip to Newcastle on Saturday, where a win would reduce the gap to a single point behind Arsenal, who host Tottenham the following day.
Guardiola confirmed midfielders Mateo Kovacic and Rodri will be unavailable for the match, though he expressed optimism about Rodri’s ongoing recovery.
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“Rodri is making steps good — it’s been almost three weeks since his last setback. He knows he has to take time to recover well mentally and physically and to be consistent from now until the end,” he said.
