Manchester City must be perfect after inconsistent season, says Pep Guardiola

LONDON – Pep Guardiola said on April 10 that an inconsistent Manchester City have little room for error in the English Premier League title race, despite a reputation for strong late-season finishes that has delivered six titles during his near-decade at the club.

The title challengers now face a demanding stretch of fixtures, beginning with the April 12 trip to Chelsea, followed by a home clash against leaders Arsenal on April 19.

City trail Arsenal by nine points, but have two games in hand.

“Hopefully we can get a lot of points,” Guardiola said when asked about his side’s usual late-season surge. “In the situation we are in, the Premier League, we need to win all of them, otherwise it will not give us the chance to try until the end.

“We have not been consistent enough this season. We have dropped points that we should have taken, which is why we are now in the position where we cannot do anything differently.”

Their challenge is complicated by injuries, however, with centre-back Ruben Dias still recovering from a muscle problem and not ready for the Stamford Bridge trip. Fellow defender Josko Gvardiol is also unavailable, having been sidelined since January with a tibial fracture to his right leg, and is not yet close to a return.

Guardiola was also asked about midfielder Bernardo Silva after assistant manager Pep Lijnders hinted that the Portuguese international’s nine-year stay at the club could end this summer.

Silva, 31, has won six Premier League titles and the Champions League since joining City in 2017 from Monaco, but his contract expires at the end of the season.

Guardiola said he did not know whether Silva would leave but made clear his desire to keep him at the club.

“He is not the tallest one, the most muscular one, or the guy who scores 50 goals or makes 50 assists a season,” he said. “But after nine years, I know him quite well and I know what a manager requires.

“All managers love him because he is incredibly competitive and has a fire inside him. In the toughest moments and on the biggest stages, he is always there. I would love for him to stay and finish his career here, but I do not know.”

Meanwhile in the Chelsea camp, manager Liam Rosenior said that Enzo Fernandez remains dropped for the clash against City despite apologising for comments that cast doubt over his Stamford Bridge future.

The Argentina midfielder, linked with Real Madrid, fuelled speculation by telling a podcast during the recent international break that he would like to live in the Spanish capital. It followed remarks he made in March, casting doubt about whether he would still be at Chelsea for the 2026-27 season.

Fernandez, 25, who has a contract at Stamford Bridge until 2032, was dropped for last week’s thumping 7-0 win against Port Vale in the FA Cup quarter-finals.

“He’s apologised to me, he’s apologised to the club,” Rosenior said. “I believe people make mistakes and you can’t overstep the punishment for the mistake.”

On the City match, he said that he was confident his men could win as they push for a top-five finish, which would guarantee Champions League football in the 2026-27 season. “We’re a very good team; we’ve gone through a difficult run,” he said.

“When I actually analysed the games that we’ve had, we’ve caused every team we’ve played against problems, but haven’t had the results for that.” REUTERS, AFP