Guardiola wants to win all of the last 9 Premier League matches
"Everyone sees that if Man City loses, the championship race will be over," Guardiola said on April 14 at a press conference before the match against Leicester in the 31st round of the Premier League. "Man City have to win every remaining game, that's a reality. At the end of the games, we will know about the chance to win."
Man City has taken control of themselves in the championship race after round 31 of the Premier League, when they won the host Southampton 4-1 and Arsenal drew Liverpool 2-2 in the late game. Man City are currently second with 67 points, six points behind Arsenal and one game less. The Manchester club will defend the throne if it wins the remaining nine matches, including the great battle against Arsenal at Etihad Stadium in round 33 on April 26.
According to Guardiola, Arsenal holds a slight advantage when they can focus on the Premier League, while Man City is aiming for a treble. In addition to the remaining nine matches in the Premier League, Man City also plays Bayern in the quarter-finals of the Champions League on April 19 and meets Sheffield United in the semi-finals of the FA Cup on April 22.
"If we lose, Man City will lose the title and that's why our goals and details are higher," said Guardiola. "If we win, Man City can still win the title. But don't forget that Arsenal are the team that have dropped the fewest points in the Premier League this season and only play one game a week with a lot of time to recover or analyze the opponent. next".
But the Spanish coach believes the pressure to win all the matches and the tight schedule will help Man City stay inspired, keep the pace and concentration at a high level. "In the past, playing in many leagues helped us," explained Guardiola. "Sometimes playing just one game a week makes City lose their rhythm. When you have two days off you immediately have to come back and sometimes you lose that feeling. But the season ends in six weeks, and The players are doing everything to continue."
In the first leg of the Champions League quarter-final against Bayern 3-0 in midweek, Kevin de Bruyne showed a lukewarm attitude and ignored Guardiola when he was withdrawn from the field. The 52-year-old coach understands the feelings of his students and emphasizes that all players want to play and contribute to the club. "When making decisions, I always think about the players who are not playing," he said. "Everyone wants to play and do their best. The players may think it's a personal matter. But at the time, I believe it was the right decision and try to win. I'm a great coach. If not, I'm terrible."
Guardiola also warned Man City not to be subjective even though Leicester are penultimate with 25 points from 30 matches. He said that the "Foxes" are very thirsty for points and can show a new face under the new coach Dean Smith - who was appointed until the end of the season to replace the fired predecessor Brendan Rodgers.
