Pep Guardiola has dismissed claims that Manchester City’s Premier League supremacy is ‘boring’ and scoffed at suggestions that their triumphs are merely the result of financial muscle.
A win against Tottenham tonight would propel City two points clear of Arsenal, virtually sealing a historic fourth straight title.
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City, the current title holders, have indeed splurged on their lineup, but they’re not the only ones opening their wallets.
Last summer saw Arsenal outspend them, with Mikel Arteta securing Declan Rice’s signature, a pivotal factor in the Gunners’ remarkable season thus far.
Even with their modest standings, Chelsea and United have poured significant investments into fresh faces, yet they’ve failed to achieve notable success or dethrone City.
Confronted with the notion that City’s unyielding dominance has made the Premier League monotonous, Guardiola delivered a sharp retort.
‘People say we will win it because we won it in the past but that doesn’t mean it will happen today,’ he said.
‘Otherwise all the teams (who have won it) still would be winning instead of just winning one. We like to prove they are right but we have to do it.
‘It’s boring? It’s not. It is so difficult. Before do you know what it was? It was the money.
‘It was the reason why Man United should have won all the titles. All of them. And the second Chelsea, all the titles. And third Arsenal. All the titles.
‘They spend much more in the last five years than us net. They should be there but they are not.’
Guardiola, meanwhile, may not understand the phrase ‘squeaky bum time’ but the City manager admits he feels ‘tension’ heading into last week of the season.
When Sir Alex Ferguson’s famous “squeaky bum time” comment, made in 2003 when the then United boss was trying to heap pressure on Arsenal, was put to the City manager it drew a puzzled look.
‘Translate please,’ said Guardiola. When City’s press officer tried to explain it in a way suitable for a public press conference, he got the meaning.
‘A lot of pressure? Why didn’t Sir Alex make an easier sentence for this moment?’ said Guardiola, speaking ahead of his side’s trip to Tottenham on Tuesday.
‘Now? No. Tomorrow we will feel the tension and the nerves. Of course we will feel it, otherwise it would be a bad sign.
‘Every game I feel the right tension, but at the same time I focus on what to do and read what is happening in the game. I try to not be so excited to take bad decisions and make my players a little bit anxious for my behaviour; sometimes it happened unfortunately for me and the team.
‘I don’t think any competitive football player or manager is numb and relaxed, saying: ‘It doesn’t matter’. Of course we know what we are playing for.
‘It is like a quarter-final, semi-final second-leg Champions League or FA Cup. It is something you can’t get back so it’s simple. Win – OK. Lose – bye, bye. So not very complicated.’
