Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has seen plenty in his ten years in English football, but this title race is a new experience
VAR overturned a West Ham equaliser in injury time against Arsenal(Image: Getty Images)
Pep Guardiola has been here before. After a decade in English football, the Manchester City manager feels like he has been everywhere, done everything and got all of the T-shirts – and is still hungry for more.
With less than two weeks to go of his tenth season though, the Catalan still finds himself in uncharted territory. Despite the best efforts of West Ham, Arsenal’s controversial victory on Sunday ensured that while City are still in the title race they are not in control of it.
Guardiola compared this Mikel Arteta side to the Liverpool title contender in the 2021/22 season that City faced. Except in this scenario, it is the Blues who are Liverpool as they hunt down a modern version of themselves: the side that has had the league in their hands for almost all of the campaign and has also gone far in the Champions League.
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In the three years Guardiola has not won the Premier League, City were out of contention well before the final day. On the three occasions when they won the league on the final day, they were in control at the start of it – including their 2022 win over Liverpool.
Like Arsenal this year, it felt like the Blues should have won the league at some point before the final game but they were unable to get all the way over the line. And so, even though it seemed a simple task to beat Aston Villa at home, it turned into anything but and needed one of the most spectacular comebacks of Guardiola’s career.
Arsenal may not need that. Their squad is in stronger shape than City’s was four years ago and they have already conquered the most difficult game of their remaining fixtures away to West Ham, despite Guardiola’s cheeky message after the Brentford win and the initial calls from the referee; games against Burnley at home and Crystal Palace away look like gimmes for the Gunners.
All City can do though is everything possible for long enough that something unexpected could happen. The 3-0 win over Brentford has already brought goal difference back into the equation and they can put that into Arsenal minds again when they play Palace on Wednesday at the Etihad.
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Then the big one is Bournemouth away, where any manner of win will be a brilliant return for City because it will send the title race to the final day. The pressure on Arsenal will be massive and even if Crystal Palace have basically said they will be on the beach strange things can happen in what has been a strange season.
It is a big ask, but after being unable to get their favour from West Ham all City can do is enough to get the title race to the final day and hope for one last twist. Having seen Arsenal be wobbled in East London, the Blues must do everything they can to recreate that for them in South London on the final day.