Pep Guardiola says his side will be in the title race until the end after Luton demolition as his side return to top of the table
- Man City beat Luton 5-0 in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon
- The defeats of Arsenal and Liverpool allowed them to return to the top of the championship.
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If there was ever a time when Pep Guardiola was worried about Man City’s title defense, it was in October and November, not now.
At the time, City stars lamented a grueling campaign, concentration waned after a long year and journeys seemed longer than ever. Not now. Now City are in their element.
How many times have they found themselves here? Fighting on all fronts with far more experience than their rivals in handling pressure.
“They like to put pressure,” Guardiola said after City demolished Luton. “They like it when you’re dead or alive. It doesn’t mean we’re going to win the title but I’m pretty sure we’ll be there until the end because I know them, I see their faces during meetings, before matches and how they prepare.
That victory over Luton, in which Erling Haaland, Jeremy Doku, Josko Gvardiol and Mateo Kovacic all scored, saw City end the day as league leaders for the first time since November.
Man City boss Pep Guardiola is confident his side will be in the title race until the end.
It was in December, after City’s defeat at Aston Villa and then a 2-1 win at Luton, that Guardiola spoke to his players about focus and how, without it, this campaign could quickly fade away.
“You think: ‘This is a long, long season’ and this is the moment where you try to do it but you’re not completely focused,” the City boss said.
“We talked about it. With the contenders we have in Arsenal and Liverpool, we can’t have many draws. The biggest difference between Arsenal, Liverpool and us is that they won a lot of points in stoppage time. All three teams had incredible seasons.
“But they won a lot of points because of the talent they have because of that (late goals).
“It’s to their credit, and not the other way around. But in these departments, they are much better than us, but we are still there.
City beat Luton on Saturday and are now back at the top of the table.
“What a privilege. I couldn’t change our position for any other team. What we did this season, we live for it. Playing for something, not playing for something else – the big trophies. And here we are still. Again, it’s so good.
It’s a big week for City, with a Champions League quarter-final second leg at home to Real Madrid on Wednesday, drawing 3-3, before an FA Cup semi-final against Chelsea at Wembley on Saturday evening.
The worry for City’s rivals is that they are peaking at the right time. No one in the locker room has trouble concentrating now.
