Pep Guardiola hails his Man City side for still being ‘alive’ in another triple chase season… and insists it’s an ‘incredible privilege’ to fight on all fronts again after beating Luton 5-1 to reclaim first place.
- Pep Guardiola praises hunger in Manchester City team after win over Luton
- City returned to the top of the Premier League after a 5-1 defeat at the Etihad
- IAN LADYMAN and CHRIS SUTTON have their say on the Premier League Player of the Year – Listen to It’s All Kicking Off Podcast
Pep Guardiola praised his team for being “alive” for another treble – and called on his players to seize this “incredible” opportunity to fight on all fronts again.
City beat Luton 5-1 to end the day top of the Premier League table for the first time since November, with attention now turning to Real Madrid in the Champions League on Wednesday ahead of a semi-final of the FA Cup against Chelsea.
Asked how his team steps up when the season reaches its final stages, he said: “It’s amazing to be here again. What a privilege.
“After finishing the previous season, we are still fighting in the Premier League with 21 points to play. On Wednesday we play against Real Madrid with a chance to qualify for the semi-finals and all the energy our supporters will bring.
“And the FA Cup next Saturday against Chelsea, another semi-final. What a privilege. Imagine no chance for the Premier League, no chance for any competition.
Pep Guardiola has praised his team for still being alive as they aim for a second consecutive treble.
The star of the show against Luton was Jeremy Doku as City returned to the top of the table.
The champions were at their best beating the Hatters 5-1 to send a title warning.
“So try to extend it for one more week, one more week. In the Premier League we still have one week. We have a chance.
“I don’t know what will happen tomorrow but no victory today, they win. We have to win our games and make (Arsenal and Liverpool) feel the pressure. That’s the only message we can do with six people remaining. We have done our job.
It was a scintillating display from City, with Jeremy Doku the star of the show as Guardiola made six changes from the team that drew 3-3 with Real Madrid in midweek.
For Luton Town and manager Rob Edwards, he was just happy to get to the final whistle.
“Today was the toughest game we’ve had all season,” he said.
“It felt like they were in our last third of the season. We couldn’t get out and they were excellent.
“Today was always going to be very difficult. I almost made peace with it at first.
Rob Edwards was proud of his Luton side in what he called their toughest games of the season.
“I’m proud of the guys. I wiped it off as soon as I entered the locker room. Let’s face it, they are a brilliant football team who are way ahead of us at the moment.
“It was a tough start, but then we pulled ourselves together and stayed on the pitch. We continued and I have to give credit to the players.
“They stifled us and controlled the game, it was a long day for us.”
City now have one eye on tomorrow’s matches as Arsenal host Aston Villa and Liverpool host Crystal Palace at Anfield, both with the chance of overtaking City.
