HIDDEN EXPERIENCE: GUARDIOLA EXPLAINS WHY 70% OF HIS SQUAD ARE TITLE-RACE NOVICES THIS YEAR
Pep Guardiola stays silent on the title race: Discover why he’s ignoring Arsenal’s slip-ups and hailing star man Antoine Semenyo.
Pep Guardiola says he hasn’t talked about the Premier League title race with his Manchester City squad, even after Arsenal slipped up in their last two matches. Arsenal’s late collapse at Wolves on Wednesday put City in a strong spot; if they win all their remaining games, including the big one against Arsenal in April, they’ll take the title.
Just two weeks ago, Arsenal was nine points clear of City, though City had a game in hand. Now, after City’s dramatic win over Liverpool and a straightforward victory over Fulham, while Arsenal stumbled against Brentford and Wolves, that gap has shrunk to five points. And City still has that extra game. If they beat Newcastle on Saturday, they’ll cut Arsenal’s lead to just two points and crank up the pressure, especially with Arsenal heading into a derby against Tottenham, who’ll be playing their first match under new coach Igor Tudor. Even with the momentum shifting City’s way, Guardiola isn’t interested in title talk, at least not with the media and not with his own players.
At his Friday press conference, Guardiola kept his focus narrow: “Twelve games is a lot. All I’m thinking about is Newcastle. I’m not even looking at the League Cup final with Arsenal until we get there. It’s Newcastle next, then some rest, then Leeds. I have no idea what’s coming in these next twelve games, and I haven’t brought it up once with my players.
“These past two days, it’s just been Newcastle, Newcastle, Newcastle. I haven’t mentioned the table; I honestly don’t care. Twelve games are a lifetime in football. Ask me about the title race when there are two or three games left; right now, it’s way too early. That’s just how I see it.
“Yes, they were nine points ahead because we had that game in hand. Once everyone catches up on fixtures, we’ll see what really separates us. There’s still so much that can happen before this season’s done. Most of our squad, about 70 per cent, are new to this kind of pressure. The only experience that matters is winning the next match.”
Guardiola also took a moment to praise Antoine Semenyo, who’s hit the ground running since his £64 million move from Bournemouth in January, notching five goals and two assists already. “He’s scoring plenty, sure, but it’s more than that; he’s got a unique rhythm, and he can play in three different positions,” Guardiola said.
“He arrived from Bournemouth with fantastic defensive energy, and he’s made a real impact. We’ve faced Antoine plenty of times before. Whether he’s ready to be called world-class or elite, we’ll see. He’s playing Champions League football for the first time, and knockout games are a real test. But honestly, with his mentality, I think he’ll handle it. Guys who join us usually adapt fast because the players who’ve been here a while make it easy for them.”
HAALAND WATCH: ERLING HAALAND FACES A LATE FITNESS TEST BEFORE NOTTINGHAM FOREST CLASH
Erling Haaland is "feeling better!" Read Pep Guardiola’s injury update, the Forest lineup news, and the Real Madrid prep here.
Erling Haaland is feeling a lot better now, but he still needs to get checked after Manchester City’s training on Tuesday before they decide if he can face Nottingham Forest. He missed the Leeds game because he picked up a small knock in training last Thursday, and right after that match, Pep Guardiola didn’t have any updates on Haaland’s fitness.
Even though Haaland’s still not a sure thing for the Forest game, City are pretty hopeful he’ll be back after getting the weekend off. The same goes for Nico O’Reilly. He limped off with an ankle issue during the 1-0 win over Leeds, but he managed to join the recovery session on Sunday.
“Erling feels much better, but we didn’t train yesterday. We’ll see how he is in training today and then make a call,” Guardiola said at his Tuesday press conference.
The city handled things well without Haaland up front. Antoine Semenyo got the only goal, playing alongside Omar Marmoush. Guardiola didn’t seem too stressed before kickoff, either. “He had some problems and a little injury two days ago in training. Nothing serious, but he wasn’t ready today,” Pep said at Elland Road.
Other than that, City’s injury list isn’t too worrying as they keep chasing trophies. Jeremy Doku was back in the squad at Leeds for the first time since his injury, and Savinho came on in the second half, his first appearance since New Year’s Day.
Right now, only Mateo Kovačić and Josko Gvardiol are still out, but Guardiola’s positive about Kovačić since he’s started training again.
“It’s March, and we’re still in all the competitions. That’s special,” Guardiola said. “Last season, we were already out of the Champions League and FA Cup at this point. Now, it’s Newcastle in the FA Cup on Saturday, then two games with Real Madrid. Win, and you keep going; lose, and you’re out. That’s all I’m thinking about.”
City are looking to cut the gap to Arsenal on Wednesday night. Both play at the same time. City hosts Forest while Arsenal heads to Brighton, who just beat Forest. There are five points between them, but Arsenal have played an extra game.
After Forest, City have two big away matches: Newcastle in the FA Cup, then Real Madrid in the Champions League last 16. Haaland has already scored at the Bernabeu, but oddly enough, he hasn’t managed a goal against Newcastle in four tries this season.
THE FERGUSON BLUEPRINT: COULD PEP GUARDIOLA MIMIC SIR ALEX’S LEGENDARY 2013 EXIT?
Shay Given suggests Pep Guardiola could mirror Sir Alex Ferguson by leaving Manchester City if they secure the 2026 title.
People are starting to wonder if Pep Guardiola will bow out in style if he wins the Premier League this season, kind of like Sir Alex Ferguson did with Manchester United during his last year.
On Saturday night, Manchester City beat Leeds and pulled itself just two points behind Arsenal. The pressure’s on. Arsenal still lead, and they can stretch that gap to five points again, but they’ve played one more game than City. It’s a tight race.
City are no strangers to chasing down Arsenal; they’ve done it twice before in the last three seasons. Guardiola’s team has the experience, and honestly, that counts for a lot right now.
Arsenal have a great squad, no doubt about it, but not many of their players have actually won the Premier League. That could make a difference as the pressure builds.
Shay Given, who used to play in goal at the top level, thinks Guardiola might walk away from Manchester City if he lifts another trophy. He sees a bit of Ferguson in Pep winning big, then calling it a day. Given talked about it on Premier League Productions: “Arsenal probably have the deeper squad, two or three players for every position. But Pep’s not giving anything away. When someone asked him what Arteta needs to do to win the league, he just said, ‘I’m not going to tell him.’ He wants that trophy for himself.”
It’s pretty simple now: If either team wins all their remaining games, they win the league. Given says he’d back City. He trusts their experience. “They’ve been here before,” he said. “And I’ve got a feeling Pep might leave if they win the league. He’s rebuilt the team; maybe it’s time for someone else to take over, but he’ll want to go out on a high.”
Guardiola and City haven’t stood still. Over the last year and a half, they’ve kept reshaping their squad planning for life after Pep. Marc Guehi, Tijjani Reijnders, Gianluigi Donnarumma, and Antoine Semenyo have all come in. Erling Haaland and Ruben Dias are either at their peak or about to hit it. The city looks ready, whatever happens next.
