Man City is currently playing 27 matches and has 56 points, 5 points less than Arsenal but the opponent has played 28 matches. If The Citizens win all the remaining matches of the season, including the direct confrontation with the "Gunners", they will be the team to win the Premier League for the 7th time in Pep Guardiola's era.
In previous seasons when Arsenal continuously lost momentum in the final stage, Man City often had continuous wins to accelerate and finish as champions. While Arsenal crushed Tottenham, Man City had an important victory against Newcastle to nurture hopes for a comeback. Previously, Pep's team had a very suffocating victory over Liverpool at Anfield, proving that their championship ambitions had not yet vanished.
Although he has a chance in hand, after the victory over Newcastle, when asked by reporters about the chance of winning the championship if he wins all matches from now until the end of the season, the Spanish strategist is quite cautious.
I don't know, but it feels like Man City won't be able to win all matches from now until the end of the season.
Last season was one of the worst times for Man City when at many times they even dropped out of the Top 6 with a series of continuous defeats. However, in the final sprint, Pep Guardiola's team still managed well enough to finish with a Champions League ticket in hand and reach the FA Cup final.
In recent seasons, the Etihad home team has had consecutive wins to win the championship. In 2023 and 2024, they surpassed Arsenal thanks to a winning streak in the spring. The previous year, they did the same when racing with Liverpool, a race that lasted until the last day. The year before that, they also won 24 consecutive matches in all competitions.
Especially in 2019, Man City won all 19 of the last matches of the season and surpassed Liverpool in one year The Kop won the Champions League. The previous season, they won 18 consecutive matches, setting a new record in the Premier League. Although the winning streak in 2018 was at the beginning of the season, in general Pep's team always knows how to create unimaginable winning streaks.
However, the present and the past are always different, especially when Man City has changed the squad a lot after the treble in 2023.
We have replaced about 60-70% of the personnel. After the 2nd or 3rd season, Man City has done that (winning streak). The team was capable of doing it but now we have to prove it again. I don't know if the club can win 3, 4, 5, 6 consecutive matches or not. I don't know" - Pep shared.
After the victory over Newcastle, Pep also pointed out that many players in the current squad have not experienced the feeling of competing for the championship in the final rounds and need to find a way to create a continuous winning streak like previous seasons. Man City is currently rejuvenating, has momentum, but the experience compared to Kevin De Bruyne's generation is not equal, which is a very big barrier, sometimes Pep's talent cannot be filled.
Ederson, Kyle Walker, Manuel Akanji, Ilkay Gundogan, Jack Grealish and Kevin De Bruyne have all left since the beginning of last year. City's squad currently only includes 11 players who have extended contracts since January 2025. Since then, many changes have come such as Matheus Nunes having to play right-back (starting as a winger) or Nico O'Relly being pushed up from wing-back to play attacking midfielder.
In the current squad, there are 10 players who have won major titles with Man City, 4 of whom are in the coaching staff including: Rodri, Bernardo Silva, Ruben Dias and Erling Haaland (who used to wear the captain's armband). However, the remaining veteran group is not in too good form such as Phil Foden, Josko Gvardiol, Rico Lewis, Nathan Ake, John Stones and Mateo Kovacic. This is proof that the team still has many unstable things.
Arsenal has not returned to a good form like in the middle of the season, opportunities have opened up for Man City, but whether they can take advantage of them is another matter.
