Pep Guardiola issued a challenge to his Manchester City squad, urging them to secure their destiny by defeating Tottenham, rather than relying on Arsenal’s performance against Manchester United.
Guardiola emphasized the importance of City winning both of their remaining matches to secure the title, regardless of goal difference, as he anticipates Arsenal to win their remaining fixtures.
He stressed the significance of maintaining control over their fate, reminiscent of City’s pivotal match against Aston Villa two seasons ago.
“Since they [Arsenal] lost against Aston Villa, the destiny is in our hands, we have to handle it,” he said. “What we want is that. That moment vs Aston Villa [in 2022], for the last game vs West Ham, the destiny is our hands. It’s what we want.
“We have to win all the games including the ones in the past, especially the ones at Forest with no recovery. Today [Fulham] is always tough. We won this season at Spurs in the FA Cup but we never won there [in the Premier League], so it will be difficult but we’re ready for the challenge.”
Guardiola expressed confidence in his players’ ability to excel under the pressure of the final week’s fixtures.
“I had the feeling they like to play with pressure. Some teams they are used to this, they have incredible personalities,” he said.
“Manu [Akanji], Ruben [Dias], Kyle [Walker], Eddy, Rodri and Kova. Phil [Foden]. Players who enjoy playing with that pressure. Otherwise you know that if you don’t play to that level and if you lose the game you lose the Premier League.
“We have known it for many years. Always the same. Don’t think anything other than the next game. See what happens. Go to London, perform well, try to win the game.”
