Manchester City manager, Pep Guardiola, has made a significant claim about the difficulty of winning the Premier League compared to the Champions League. This comes amid a tense fight for supremacy in England's top-flight football league with Arsenal and Liverpool.
Guardiola insists that clinching the English Premier League title is more challenging than securing victory in Europe's elite competition, the Champions League. His side, which is set to face Real Madrid in an upcoming Champions League quarter-final match on Tuesday, won both competitions last season along with the FA Cup - completing a remarkable treble.
Despite their imminent clash against Spanish giants Real Madrid, Guardiola remains focused on his team’s domestic campaign. He aims to secure Manchester City’s sixth trophy in seven seasons by winning this year’s English top-flight title race.
Premier League race getting new twists and turns every week
With just seven games left this season, Manchester City currently sits third on the Premier League table with 70 points. They are one point behind second-placed Liverpool and league leaders Arsenal.
Pep Guardiola, Manchester City manager, said
‘I always said and people don’t believe me, I think the Premier League or the domestic league title are the more difficult ones,’
‘Because it is 38 fixtures and being there every single day, and especially the contenders we have this season.’
The next round of fixtures sees Manchester City hosting Luton Town while Liverpool take on Palace and Arsenal face Aston Villa. These matches could potentially shake up standings as teams vie for crucial points towards their respective campaigns.
Guardiola hails Ancelotti’s legacy and impact at Madrid
For now though, attention shifts from domestic affairs to European action as Manchester City prepares for their crucial first-leg encounter against Real Madrid in the Champions' league quarter-finals.
Guardiola has praised Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti ahead of this highly anticipated match-up between two footballing powerhouses.
Pep Guardiola added:
‘He’s an exceptional person, we have a good relationship, We don’t see each other much. He’s more experienced than me, he’s a little bit older!
‘He’s been in many leagues where he’s had success. How he makes his teams work and all the success [shows] how good he is.’
In addition to Guardiola's comments about his team's upcoming challenges domestically and internationally, there have been words of caution from within his squad too. Midfielder Rodri has warned his teammates about the threat posed by Real Madrid's young superstar, Jude Bellingham.
As Manchester City juggles their domestic and international commitments, the coming weeks will be crucial in determining whether Guardiola’s claim holds true. Will the Premier League prove to be a tougher nut to crack than the Champions League? Only time will tell.
