Manchester City defender Marc Guehi and his team-mates have made the leap at the right time in the Premier League title race and have set their sights on Arsenal
Marc Gehi and Manchester City come to Arsenal (Image: TNT Sports)
Marc Gehi claims Manchester City ‘stepped up’ at the right time and showed they are ready to win more trophies.
Guehi said the Carabao Cup gave City’s entire squad even more belief and made them even more determined to win more silver medals as they chase this season’s treble of trophies.
City have their sights set on title rivals Arsenal ahead of next Sunday’s winner-take-all showdown at the Etihad, with Josep Guardiola’s side determined to chase down the leaders. It was clear that City had the experience and know-how to win the title, as they closed the gap on Arsenal to just six points with the game in hand.
Incredibly, City could overtake Arsenal at the top of the table if they win their next two games against the Gunners and a rearranged game against Burnley. Guehi insists it’s all about ‘arriving’ at the right time, and it looks like they’ve hit the ground running again at the perfect time.
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“In moments like this, it’s important to step up, for the players to step up, for the team to step up. As I said last week, it’s important to get to the right moment,” Guehi said.
“We hope to arrive. The trophy definitely gave us a lot of confidence. Whatever it is, it’s a trophy and it helps the football club, so everyone just has to focus on the next day, the next game and try to be as consistent as possible.”
“It always, always gives you belief and it helps everyone. I hope we can win more. That’s the goal. That’s the goal.”
Guehi joined City from Crystal Palace in a bargain £30m deal in January and has been a calming and transformative presence in Guardiola’s side’s defence. Although he did not qualify for the Carabao Cup final, he still felt the confidence gained from defeating Arsenal.
Guehi was in the middle of Manchester City’s celebrations against former club Chelsea (Image: Adrian Dennis/AFP)
City have done a great job signing Antoine Semenyo for less than £100m, and he is in such good form that Arsenal look anxious and fearful of being overtaken on the final lap for the third time in four seasons.
Arsenal won against Bournemouth and City won a tricky game against Chelsea, setting them up for next Sunday’s showdown.
Guehi insisted this was not about Arsenal failing, or even next Sunday’s fixture, but simply to allow them to focus on themselves.
Guehi said: “As I said, the most important thing is to control what we can control. We can’t control what Arsenal did. We did our job and got the three points.”
“I just want to play every game, it doesn’t matter when, where or what kind of game I play. I’m just happy to be at this football club and to have been given that opportunity.
“I hope we can make a statement, but the important thing is to stay grounded, keep fighting game after game and see what happens.”
City build momentum ahead of Sunday’s big title decider against Arsenal (Image: Getty Images)
City showed a bit of an edge in the first half of the game against Chelsea, but in the second half they showed the quality to push towards victory with a goal from Guehi.
Guehi enjoyed the goal, but was also full of respect for the club he started as a child and graduated from Chelsea’s academy.
He added, “I think it’s natural for every player to be nervous in every game, but it doesn’t matter how you handle it or how you fight.However, I’m grateful to all the players for stepping up and doing what they had to do.”
“Winning helps and you can only control what you can control, so that’s what we were aiming for, to make sure we get the three points.”
“I’m happy to score. My main job is to defend, but I’m also happy to help the team in other ways.”
“If anything, it’s more of a feeling of gratitude. It’s a bit strange, but I come from Chelsea and the academy and I wouldn’t be here without the coaches, the staff and the players I played with at the academy, so I’m really grateful to them for getting me to this point, even in a strange way.”
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