Older brotherBefore the compensation match of round 29 of the Premier League against Brighton, coach Pep Guardiola admitted that he liked this stage of the season the most because its results decided the championship race.
Man City is currently ranked third in the Premier League after 34 rounds with 73 points, one and four points behind second-placed Liverpool and top-ranked Arsenal, respectively. But Guardiola and his team still retain the right to self-determination in the championship race while playing two fewer matches than these two direct competitors. If they win all six remaining matches, Man City will become the first team to win the Premier League four times in a row, regardless of the results of Liverpool and Arsenal.
Guardiola is not afraid of the pressure to win, but on the contrary, he likes the current tense sprint phase the most because this is when Man City can assert its bravery. “I enjoy it most at this stage of the season,” he said before the match against Brighton. “Every match is tense, important and decisive. Every mistake or setback makes things more difficult. Luckily, we have been here many times over the years, so we know What to do now?”
Pep Guardiola celebrates with Silva, the author of the only goal that helped Man City defeat Chelsea in the FA Cup semi-finals. Image: Reuters
However, Guardiola does not think that this important period is an opportunity for him to prove his special abilities. “The important thing is that the players are in top form. I don’t put my shoes on the field. Therefore, the important thing is the players,” said the Catalan coach.
Guardiola once praised his colleague Roberto de Zerbi as one of the coaches with the greatest influence on football in the past 20 years. Before today’s confrontation, Guardiola continued to praise his colleagues and said that Brighton’s away match is always the most difficult match of the season with Man City.
“Tomorrow is one of the most difficult matches of the season,” the Spanish coach said. “Away to Brighton is always one of the toughest games in our fixtures, because of the way they play. My admiration for De Zerbi is growing as the season progresses. He is doing Incredible work in Brighton”.
At Amex Stadium today, Man City will be without Erling Haaland due to injury. But according to Guardiola, Phil Foden and John Stones are ready to play. He also left open the possibility of rotating the force because of the tight schedule.
Hong Duy
