Man City have taken top spot, but they face a congested fixture list, potential player burnout and still have to get to their dreadful squad… why the title race is NOT over for Arsenal and Liverpool.

There are only six games left and things are starting to look ominous. Manchester City are top of the Premier League.

The weekend’s results put City firmly in the driver’s seat as they look to seal an unprecedented fourth consecutive title.

Pep Guardiola’s side posed the challenge on Saturday with a five-star performance against Luton Town as they swept aside the Hatters 5-1.

Then on Sunday afternoon, Liverpool suffered a shock 1-0 home defeat to Crystal Palace – a result which prevented them from dropping from third to first place.

Then, to make things better for City, Arsenal were beaten 2-0 at home by Aston Villa, which saw them cede top spot to Guardiola’s side.

As things stand, City hold a two-point lead over Arsenal and Liverpool, but Mail Sport is here to explain why fans of the latter duo shouldn’t be too pessimistic.

City regained top spot after Liverpool suffered a shock 1-0 defeat to Crystal Palace

Arsenal also lost on Sunday afternoon, losing 2-0 at home to Aston Villa, missing out on top spot.

Your browser does not support iframes.

LUMINAIRE PLANNING

Once again, let’s emphasize that only two points separate City from Arsenal and Liverpool. It’s not insurmountable.

And with the way the Premier League fixture schedule is set up, both chasing clubs can now put pressure on the team to beat.

And that’s because both teams now play twice in the top flight before City continue their own title quest.

City don’t play in the Premier League until April 25, when they face Brighton due to their participation in the FA Cup, meaning it’s an opportunity for Arsenal and Liverpool to potentially move four points above their rival – even if they played two more matches.

Mikel Arteta (left) and Jurgen Klopp’s side now play twice before City play in the league again

The road to attempting that begins next Saturday night when Arsenal travel to Wolves before hosting bitter rivals Chelsea three days later on April 23. For Liverpool, they travel to Fulham on Sunday afternoon before making the short trip to fierce rivals Everton on April 23. April 24.

The following weekend (April 27-28), City are last to play – Liverpool travel to West Ham in Saturday lunchtime’s match, while Arsenal travel to north London, to face Tottenham, in the clash Sunday delivery. Following this meeting, City then travel to Nottingham Forest.

In fact, even the following week, on May 4, Arsenal played City again – hosting Bournemouth in the Saturday game at 12:30 p.m., five hours before the reigning champions entertain Wolves. Liverpool will face Tottenham the following day.

It will be May 11, and the penultimate week of the season, before City can put pressure on their rivals. This weekend they travel to Fulham for the Saturday 12.30pm kick-off. The next day they can get up and watch Manchester United v Arsenal (May 12) before Aston Villa v Liverpool on Monday night (May 13).

City have until May 11 before playing either of their title rivals in a matchweek.

LUMINAIRES SIZE

This point ties into the next two sections below (we’ll come back to this in a moment). City’s fixture schedule means their remaining Premier League schedule is slightly tighter than that of their title rivals.

While everyone plays midweek next week (April 23-25), City will also face another midweek game in the final week of the season with a match at Tottenham (May 14). .

This tricky trip to north London is sandwiched between the visit of Fulham (May 11) and the final match of the season at home to West Ham (May 19).

City manager Pep Guardiola faces a tricky trip to Tottenham in the final week of the season.

A CHALLENGE ON THREE FRONTS

Then there’s the small matter of a historic two-peat treble that City are juggling. With all three teams still in Europe, City are best equipped – and arguably – most likely to go furthest.

The reigning Champions League winners play a quarter-final second leg at home to Real Madrid on Wednesday, while Arsenal travel to Bayern Munich on the same day. Meanwhile, Liverpool head to Atalanta in the Europa League.

With City playing at home, they will be keen to try their luck against the Spanish giants with a mouth-watering draw at 3-3. Arsenal face a tougher task in Germany, even if the score is tied at 2-2. As for Liverpool, they need to dig deep and create another memorable European night as they lead 3-0 against their Italian opponents after a horrific quarter-final first leg.

It’s not inconceivable to think that City could be the only English representatives of this trio in Europe by Thursday evening (not forgetting that West Ham and Aston Villa are also in action). Although it will be bitterly disappointing for Arsenal and Liverpool, these extra European matches will only put extra pressure on the City team, extra pressure – albeit a welcome one.

On the other hand, their title rivals would be fresher and focus solely on the Premier League.

Oh, and if that’s not enough for Guardiola and Co., there’s also the small matter of Saturday’s FA Cup semi-final against Chelsea.

City could have more European matches to play if they beat Real Madrid this week

POTENTIAL BURNOUT FROM KEY STARS

This added strain could lead to injury and is something Rodri has previously warned against. Following last Tuesday’s 3-3 draw against Real Madrid, it was revealed that Manchester City were hatching a plan to give Rodri some much-needed rest after the midfielder admitted his fatigue.

Rodri had discussions with the Treble winners over his workload last summer, but has since made 47 appearances for club and country this season.

He was outspoken about the risk of burnout before the start of the campaign, saying playing up to 60 matches was “not healthy” and telling City that pushing his body to “the limit” could not be done. produce for a second consecutive year.

“I need some rest,” said the midfielder. “It’s something we anticipate. Let’s see how we speak, how we experience the situation. Sometimes it is what it is (and) I have to adapt.

Rodri claims he needs rest and City plan to give him time off like they did against Luton

City stuck to their plan on Saturday, with the Spaniard an unused substitute in the dominant display against Luton.

The 27-year-old is an integral part of the way Guardiola plays and City have found it difficult to identify an understudy, evidenced by Kalvin Phillips’ torrid spell. Mateo Kovacic replaced at the base of their midfield against Luton, but struggled in the September defeat to Wolves when Rodri was suspended.

Guardiola had questioned suggestions that Rodri looked jaded following last weekend’s 4-2 win at Crystal Palace, where he looked leggy and was unusually sloppy in possession.

This drop in performance continued in the first half at the Bernabeu before Rodri regained his composure.

Any fatigue felt by the midfield leader at the end of the season could be keenly felt with just six games remaining in the Premier League title race. Guardiola will be perfectly aware of this.

He warned before the season that it wouldn’t be healthy for him to play nearly 60 games again.

THE BOGEY TEAM IS WAITING

Last but not least, there is one team that could have a say in this title race and that is Arsenal’s biggest enemy: Tottenham.

Spurs, fifth in the table, still have to face the top three with their match against City, the penultimate game of the season.

Although City won the FA Cup there earlier this year, traveling to this part of north London has proved unsuccessful for the team in blue in recent years.

Since opening at Tottenham Hotspur’s magnificent ground in April 2019, City have made five visits to the Premier League – losing five times to four different managers and failing to even score a goal, missing a few penalties along the way.

City haven’t won in the Premier League against Spurs since 2018 – including a 1-0 defeat last season

Guardiola is fully aware of this hoodoo on his back, stating in an interview with Sky Sports in late May 2023, when asked what the next challenge might be after a treble-winning campaign.

“Score a goal against Spurs away,” he joked. “I’m staying because I want to beat Spurs.”

All eyes are therefore on May 14. For once, Tottenham will have the support of their biggest rival.

Funny what a title run can do to a team, huh?