Josep Guardiola admitted Arsenal looked relentless at the start of the season after opening up a six-point lead at the top of the Premier League.
Manchester City manager Josep Guardiola admitted that Arsenal, who maintain a six-point lead at the top of the table, are “unstoppable right now” after the weekend’s results, but the Catalan player jokingly said he hoped “someday we might concede a goal.”
The Gunners continued to set the pace and took on Burnley on Saturday with Victor Gokeres and Declan Rice among the scorers. The clean sheet at Turf Moor was the fourth Premier League game Arsenal have managed to keep at bay.
You have to go back to September 28th, when Nick Waltemade scored Newcastle’s first-half goal, for the last time Arsenal’s last line was breached. Their defense is considered to be one of the best in Europe, but a wasteful summer has also given them extra firepower.
Mikel Arteta has a number of quality options to call upon in the final third, and although Arsenal have moved down the table as favorites to finally end their wait for a league title, Guardiola is concerned about how they look.
He said: “We’re six points behind Arsenal, but they’re playing so well that they look unstoppable right now. They don’t concede goals, they’re very solid, they can score in different situations, positions and from a lot of players. But still, if we improve this step a little bit more (more players start scoring), we’ll get closer, the game will be more tense and we can win.”
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City have already played Arsenal and took a point from the Emirates. Gabriel Martinelli’s late equalizer denied them victory in north London, but Arteta’s defense has been difficult to navigate since then, with the Gunners scoring just three goals so far. Guardiola joked: “I hope Arsenal concede at some point. It’s not easy to play against them.”
The City manager saw his side bounce back from defeat at Aston Villa by defeating high-flying Bournemouth at the Etihad on Sunday afternoon. Erling Haaland continued his sensational goalscoring streak, scoring two of the three goals.
Guardiola missed out on the title last season, marking the third time in nine years that he has failed to win the Premier League trophy. After an early slump, City look to be back to their best and the Catalans believe they are on the upswing after the ups and downs since the summer.
“Since the Club World Cup we felt we were in a good period,” he said. “We have 10 games left and 28 to go. A lot is going to happen, but what’s important is the feeling that we can get better.”
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