Pep the bogeyman is back: Guardiola’s spring surge puts Arsenal on alert
With spring approaching, momentum shifts again in England’s title race as City close in on Arsenal.
With 11 games left in the Premier League season – and 10 for Arsenal – the title race has taken a decisive turn. It was that rescheduled fixture for the Gunners that marked a before and after. Although Mikel Arteta’s side restored their five-point cushion over Manchester City by thrashing Tottenham in the North London derby (1–4), a prior stumble against Wolves (1–1) and City’s subsequent win over Newcastle (2–1) breathed new life into Pep Guardiola’s team. The Citizens, now second, once again control their own destiny in the 2025–2026 title race.
This season, Guardiola has done it again. He insists he has not devoted a single ounce of energy in team talks to discussing the title race. “I don’t know if we have a better chance of winning now, I don’t know what’s going to happen. I haven’t spoken to the players about that either. Not the table, not our position, nothing. I don’t care.” Whether true or not, City keep winning, and Arteta can once more feel his mentor breathing down his neck.
City are unbeaten in February. You have to go back to the end of last month for their last loss, when Bodø/Glimt rattled them in the Champions League (3–1). Any doubts sparked by that surprise European defeat – and the loss in the Manchester derby (2–0) – quickly faded.
No manager reaches for a calculator in February, yet the math currently favors City. If they win their game in hand against Crystal Palace – postponed due to the League Cup final – the gap to Arsenal would shrink to just two points. Then, on April 18 at the Etihad Stadium, comes what could be the ultimate decider. Less than a month after meeting at Wembley, the Gunners head to Manchester.
Matchweek 33 will stage a Manchester City–Arsenal clash that could prove decisive for either side in their pursuit of this Premier League crown. Arsenal remain the favorites. Their 20 consecutive rounds at the top say as much, as does the lead they still hold – one they will try to protect next weekend against Chelsea. But few navigate moments like these better than Guardiola.
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