Guardiola: 'Winning the championship this season is as difficult as climbing a mountain'

After beating Nottingham Forest 2-0 in round 35 of the Premier League, coach Pep Guardiola denied that Man City had the advantage, and worried that the team would lose the title if they stumbled in the remaining four matches.

Due to both wins in round 35, the gap between Man City and Arsenal has not changed. Man City is still in second place with 79 points, one point behind Arsenal but has played one game less. Man City's four remaining opponents are Wolves, Fulham, Tottenham, West Ham, while Arsenal has three games against Bournemouth, Man Utd and Everton.

"The remaining four games are as difficult as climbing a mountain. If we draw just one game, Man City will not win the title," Guardiola said of the race with Arsenal. "I don't think Arsenal will lose any more points, like what happened to Liverpool. The only thing we can do is try to keep the right to decide in each game."

Coach Guardiola instructed striker Alvarez during Man City's win over Nottingham Forest in round 35 of the Premier League on April 28. Photo: mancity.com

At the City Ground on April 28, Man City had many difficulties against their opponents who were racing to stay in the league, having fewer shots than their opponents - 11 compared to 14. However, the brilliance of the stars and the ability to take advantage of opportunities better helped the away team win all three points. In the 32nd minute, Kevin de Bruyne kicked a left corner for Josko Gvardiol to head the ball into the near corner to open the score. The Belgian midfielder completed his double assist when he passed to Erling Haaland to finish with his right foot across the corner to seal the score in the 71st minute.

This was Guardiola's 300th Premier League game, and he helped Man City to 704 points, scoring 741 and conceding just 247 goals - all the best statistics in this period. Guardiola won 221 of his 300 games, a win rate of 73.6%, far ahead of the next best, Alex Ferguson, with 65.2%.

Guardiola, however, was not satisfied, saying that Man City won by luck. The Spanish coach even said that Nottingham could not score because the pitch was dry and hard. "There is nothing wrong with that, but the fact that the dry pitch helped us," he said. "We were lucky because the opponent could not get good contact with the ball because the pitch was rough in many chances."

Haaland finishes in the situation that sealed a 2-0 victory for Man City against Forest. Photo: mancity.com

Meanwhile, Haaland was happy with his return, after missing the FA Cup semi-final win over Chelsea and the Premier League win over Brighton. His goal against Nottingham also took Haaland to 21 goals, one more than Cole Palmer in the race for the Golden Boot this season.

Like Guardiola, Haaland was also cautious when talking about the title race. "I think it's better not to think about it," the 23-year-old striker said. "At the moment, focus on each game. If you think too much, you will go crazy. So we just relax, enjoy and then focus on the next game."

Hong Duy

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