Despite surrendering their advantage in the title race, Pep Guardiola believes that Arsenal has won the most important title this season.
Arsenal’s recent Premier League form has been far from impressive, as the Gunners struggled to win just one of their five league matches in April. However, Mikel Arteta’s side bounced back in style on Tuesday, securing a dominant 3-1 win against Chelsea and reclaiming their spot at the top of the league table, at least for the time being.
The impressive performance against Chelsea saw two goals from the talented Martin Odegaard and another from Gabriel Jesus, banishing the memories of their poor run of form in April.
Nonetheless, their previous struggles mean that Arsenal have surrendered their advantage over Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City, who currently trail the Gunners by just two points but have two games in hand.
Despite this setback, Guardiola has praised Arsenal’s progress this season, pointing out that they have already achieved a significant feat by securing a return to the Champions League for the first time since 2018. The City boss believes that this accomplishment will benefit Arsenal not only financially, but also in terms of attracting new signings and boosting team morale.
“Maybe the mood there [at Arsenal] is a bit down,” said Guardiola ahead of West Ham’s visit to the Etihad Stadium.
“After seven years, they won the most important title – to qualify for the Champions League. Financially, for new signings.
“I’m pretty sure they have to be so happy, because they make an incredible achievement.”
Guardiola’s comments come ahead of City’s upcoming fixture against West Ham, where they will be looking to close the gap on Arsenal at the top of the table.
Although Arsenal’s lead is currently slim, it would be premature to assume that City will go unbeaten until the end of the season. Regardless of the outcome, it is clear that both teams are determined to give their all in the pursuit of success this season.