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Arsenal suffered a hammer blow to their Premier League title hopes by losing to Bournemouth at home.
The Gunners had suffered defeat at the Emirates Stadium just once all season before Saturday, but the Cherries deservedly picked up all three points.
Who was Arsenal’s worst performer against Bournemouth?
That gives a big boost to Manchester City ahead of their game against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Sunday. If they win it and then beat Arsenal next weekend, they become the favourites.
However, Pep Guardiola is aware of the opposite scenario as well.
Pep Guardiola says the title race with Arsenal will be ‘over’ if Manchester City drop points vs Chelsea
Manchester City’s game against Chelsea was always going to be a huge one.
Arsenal’s nine-point lead at the top of the Premier League table is massive at this stage of the season, and Guardiola knows that his side have almost zero margin for error.
That is why, before Arsenal’s defeat to Bournemouth, the City boss made it clear in the embargoed section of his press conference that dropping points is not an option.
Guardiola went as far as saying that the title race will be ‘over’ if his men don’t beat Chelsea – or any of their remaining opponents.
Photo by Paul ELLIS / AFP via Getty Images
However, he suggested that it is game on if City get wins over the Blues as well as Arsenal at the Etihad Stadium next weekend.
Guardiola said, as relayed on HaytersTV: “Talking about Arsenal, Arsenal, Arsenal, if you don’t win at Stamford Bridge, that’s not an easy place to go, maybe we don’t need to make the press conference before Arsenal, because it will be over.
“Everybody knows it. You know it, I know it, the players know it. Everybody in England knows it.
“How many games are left? We have to win all of them. All! If not, one drop, no! Forget about it! Nine points is a lot of points against that Arsenal.
“But if we win at Stamford Bridge and then we win at home against Arsenal, of course, always, you live the illusion, the wish is always there to try to do it. But the reality, I’m not naive to say it’s going to happen.”
🏆👀 I am feeling __% confident that Arsenal will win the Premier League title this season…
Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images Pep Guardiola could be playing mind games against Arsenal
On one hand, what Guardiola is saying definitely makes sense.
A nine-point gap with eight games left for Manchester City realistically leaves no margin for error, so he is right to want to win every game.
However, his suggestion that it will be over if they lose but not if they win does seem like mind games, planting seeds in the minds of Arsenal players.
Mikel Arteta would know all about it, having worked with Guardiola for such a long time, so we expect him to tell his players to ignore everything the City boss says.
However, the most important thing that the Arsenal manager needs to focus on is getting his side back to winning ways domestically after they lost each of their last three games.
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