Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has declared that the “real season starts now” as his team positions itself to chase down Premier League leaders Arsenal.
The declaration came on Friday as Guardiola addressed the media ahead of City’s crucial Saturday match away to Newcastle United. The momentum in the title race appears to be shifting after the recent round of fixtures, where City thumped Liverpool 3-0 just as Arsenal were dropping points in a 2-2 draw at Sunderland.
The results saw City close the gap at the top to just four points, injecting fresh intrigue into the early-season title contest.
When questioned about the potential swing in momentum, Guardiola acknowledged the importance of staying within touching distance of an “impeccable” Arsenal side, drawing parallels to past title battles.
“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 stated.
He further elaborated, “It was similar to Liverpool last season,” referencing the team that won the league with four games to spare.
Despite the heightened focus on the title chase, the experienced manager, who has won six Premier League titles with City, cautioned against drawing final conclusions in November. He outlined his view of the season’s structure.
“There’s two parts of the season, when the transfer window is over in summer and after, when the international break is over,” he explained. “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.”
Guardiola emphasised that the primary objective for this phase is to remain in contention. “And the important thing is to be there, to be close there, and after that, arrive at the end of the season with the chance that we can fight for it. That is the target, and of course, winning tomorrow would be an important step for us.”
A victory for City against Eddie Howe’s struggling Newcastle side would see them apply immense pressure, moving to within a single point of Arsenal before the Gunners host Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.
Guardiola confirmed his squad is largely fit for the trip to St James’ Park, though he will be without key midfielders Mateo Kovacic and Rodri.
“Everybody is fit except Kova and Rodri,” the manager said, providing an update on Rodri’s recovery. “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.”
