Pep Guardiola believes Arsenal are still the best team in England after Manchester City cut the gap at the top of the Premier League to six points with a comprehensive 3-0 win over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
City recovered from a slow first half to blow the home side away with three goals in 17 second-half minutes to put real pressure on the league leaders ahead of next Sunday’s meeting between the two sides.
Should Guardiola’s team triumph at the Etihad Stadium they will move to within three points of the Gunners with a game in hand, and they sent a warning in west London that they are not going away in the title race as goals from Nico O’Reilly, Marc Guehi and Jeremy Doku humiliated Liam Rosenior’s Blues.
“We have done a good three games but the best team in England so far is Arsenal, the best team in Europe so far is Arsenal, because the numbers are there, the consistency they had,” said Guardiola.
City – whose supporters sang “are you watching Arsenal” and “we’re Manchester City, we’ll fight to the end” from the Shed End, while one fan was captured on television cameras animatedly miming drinking from an empty Arsenal branded water bottle – look equipped to take the title fight to the wire.
The Gunners’ home defeat by Bournemouth on Saturday had opened the door for City to take charge of their own destiny, and they took full advantage against a Chelsea side which collapsed in the face of more powerful and clinical opposition to leave their own hopes of reaching the Champions League in serious doubt.
Guardiola believes his team’s victory in the Carabao Cup final three weeks ago helped change the face of the title run-in, with City rampant and Arsenal on a run of three losses in four matches ahead of the showdown.
“There isn’t one person in this room when we played at Wembley in the Carabao Cup bet for us one pound,” he said. “We were underdogs. Now it’s a bit different. That’s the mindset we have to work.
“Football is like that. You’re able to have 49 games, lost three games in the last four. Tell me a reason why. This is business.
“I know how difficult. Always a warning has to be there. We have a long week, we’re going to train good, to prepare good. I know perfectly the manager, I know how good he is (at) adjusting things. But at the same time, we play at home with our people.
“I know how tough. To (beat) Arsenal once is so difficult. Forty-nine games they lost three in all competitions. I know how good they are.”
As for Chelsea, the early promise which accompanied Rosenior’s first month in charge has evaporated, leaving in its place the same old doubts over the mental fortitude of this young squad and the club’s general direction under the current ownership.
“I need to win in this moment,” said Rosenior, whose side trail Liverpool by four points in the race for the final Champions League place.
“When I first came, I never asked for a lot of time because I understand this club. I understand the traditions and the history of this club.
“I would like to have that time and I’m confident that in that time, you can create something very, very special within the time that it takes, which even someone as experienced as Pep or Jurgen Klopp when he won the titles he did at Liverpool, they had a year to sort things out. I’ve come in January.
“It’s not an excuse. It’s a reality.”
