Pep Guardiola remarked “history is in front of us” as he readies his Manchester City squad for a challenging encounter at Tottenham on Tuesday, which could be pivotal in determining the Premier League title’s fate.
City, pursuing an unparalleled fourth consecutive top-tier English league title, trails Arsenal by one point but importantly holds a game in hand.
Should City triumph over Spurs, they will have the opportunity to clinch the title by defeating West Ham at home on the season’s final Sunday, while Arsenal takes on Everton.
Guardiola’s team is surging towards the finish line, having scored 28 goals in their recent seven Premier League games and allowing only five.
However, the City manager, who expressed his enthusiasm for the tense title chase, refuted the notion that the competition was virtually concluded.
“Fifteen goals (in four matches) is fine, it brought us the points to be here but it doesn’t grant you anything extra for tomorrow when the game begins,” Guardiola stated during Monday’s pre-match media briefing.
“The mindset is straightforward, if we don’t win, we won’t secure the Premier League, and that’s what we must focus on.”
City has yet to secure a league victory at Tottenham’s new arena, which debuted in 2019, and hasn’t even managed to score there, though they claimed victory in an FA Cup match there in January.
Despite his squad’s unfavorable track record at the venue, Guardiola noted they had delivered strong performances there “many times.”
“But to achieve something in this country that has never been achieved before, you need to do something special, something truly exceptional,” he commented.
“It has never occurred in the Premier League. We need to make it happen this time. History is right before us, and we must acknowledge we haven’t achieved it yet. Now is the moment to accomplish it, or Arsenal will claim the championship.”
Guardiola expressed “huge respect” for Spurs manager Ange Postecoglou, whose side still possesses a slim chance of earning a spot in next season’s Champions League, although those hopes could be dashed if Aston Villa triumphs over Liverpool later on Monday.
