Guardiola hasn't bothered with Bayern and Arsenal yet
"We are not thinking about Bayern yet. Man City is now only focused on the match against Southampton. The Premier League takes place every day, every week. Now, Man City's chance of winning the title depends on the Southampton game," Guardiola said. said on April 7 in the pre-match press conference.
Man City faces a packed schedule in April. After beating Liverpool 4-1 on April 1, the Manchester club will meet Southampton today, Leicester on April 15, Arsenal on April 26 and Fulham on April 30. in the English Premier League. In particular, the great battle at Etihad Stadium on April 26 can decide the throne this season. In addition, Man City has two matches against Bayern in the quarter-finals of the Champions League on April 11 and April 19, and against Sheffield United in the semi-finals of the FA Cup on April 22.
If you win at St. Mary's today, Man City will shorten the gap to five points and put pressure on Arsenal - Liverpool's away team on April 9. But Guardiola warned Man City that it is not easy to get all three points against Southampton - the team is at the bottom of the table and is thirsty for points to race for relegation. "Now, every club is fighting for something. It's an equally important battle in the Premier League," he said. "Every game has its own characteristics and you have to be ready. Being a guest against Southampton is always difficult, and tomorrow will be no exception."
When asked more about the Arsenal reception, Guardiola continued to emphasize only focusing on each game. He explained: "It's still a long time before we play Arsenal. Of course, Man City needs to win Southampton, Leicester and Arsenal. If we lose points, Arsenal will soon win the title. And if we win consecutively, Man City have can be crowned in the final round".
The 52-year-old coach confirmed that Erling Haaland swallowed the last two training sessions and was "ready" to play today, after nearly three weeks of recovering from a hip injury. The 22-year-old striker missed with Norway in the first two rounds of Euro 2024 qualifying and was absent in the 4-1 win over Liverpool last weekend. Haaland has scored 42 goals in 37 games in all competitions this season for City, including six hat-tricks. In the Premier League alone, Haaland leads the list of top scorers with 28 goals, six more than Tottenham's Harry Kane.
Guardiola said the culture of English football has changed, and even he is unsure of the seat when the needs of the English Premier League clubs are increasing. This season, 12 managers have lost their jobs, with Graham Potter at Chelsea and Brendan Rodgers at Leicester being the latest names.
"Results are a priority, but that only matters if the plan works," said Guardiola. "In England, when I was young, clubs had a tradition of keeping the manager. But now, with different owners, with a lot of pressure and a lot of investment, it's all changed. It's all different. under a lot of pressure, from the coach to the board. People believe that change will make them better. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. All coaches know the risks. there".
When asked about avoiding being sacked because he knew the right time to leave the club, Guardiola jokingly replied: "I'll tell you a secret, we win many games. If we don't win, I lose. I'm not fired because the club has won a lot of games over the years, not because my hair is better than everyone else's."
