Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has suggested that his team’s next three games will go a long way to deciding the Premier League title race after thrashing Arsenal 4-1.
City moved to within two points of the Gunners, who are now four league games without a win, on Wednesday night and have two games in hand that will send them ahead if won.
The first of those extra games is against Fulham at the weekend, with City have the potential to get ahead there and then. If they are able to consolidate that position with further wins against West Ham and Leeds in the fixtures to follow, Guardiola is much more confident about another title.
“I know the next three games are really, really important,” he told BT Sport.
“Fulham, West Ham and Leeds, I think these games will dictate it if we are able to do what we have to do. The reality is we are [still] behind Arsenal – they are two points in front of us.
”City’s final outstanding game in hand will come in the last few days of the season when they make the long trip to the south coast to face Brighton.
“Going to Brighton, for example, and winning will not be easy. We’ll take it game by game and see what happens,” Guardiola added.
Kevin De Bruyne, whose player of the match performance made most of the difference against Arsenal, made similar comments about there being plenty of football left to play.
"It’s too long,” he also told BT Sport. “We know what people will say. It’s so hard. A lot of things can happen. There are still seven games left – and we’re still behind them [in the table]. People say we will win the title. We won’t give in until it’s mathematical. Our schedule is hectic."
