Guardiola urged his side to embrace the chance to do something no side has doen before in winning six titles in seven years
: Reuters/David Klein
Pep Guardiola says the prospect of Manchester City becoming the first English club in history to win four consecutive league titles has “ignited something in all our heads” as he challenged his players to seize a moment he believes will never come again.
Victory over Spurs at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Tuesday night will move City two points clear of Arsenal at the top of the table heading into the final day on Sunday and within touching distance of a sixth championship in seven seasons.
Guardiola believes City “have something unique in front of our eyes” and says the chance of carving another slice of history 12 months after becoming only the second English team to win the Treble has galvanised the club.
“In the beginning of the season, no, we didn’t think about the four Premier Leagues,” the City manager said. “If we are in February, March, April, we are still there, we can still do it but after it ignites something in all our heads that says guys no team has done it.
“That shows you how hard it is. Liverpool in the 80s, Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United in the 90s, Chelsea with Roman Abramovich and Jose Mourinho and Arsenal with Arsene Wenger didn’t do it. So if it’s not been done, it’s difficult It’s as simple as that.
“To do something that in this country no team has done, you have to do something special, exceptional I would say. It has not happened in the Premier League ever and we have to do it this time. History is in front of us and we have to accept that we have not done it – it is the time to do it. Otherwise Arsenal will be champions.
“The older guys can win their sixth in seven years. It’s not going to happen again. People remember the winners. We played really good against Real Madrid in the Champions League quarter-finals but it was not enough. We have the chance in the Premier League.”
City have won just once in six visits to Tottenham’s new ground and never in the league, with Ange Postecoglou bidding to become the fifth different Spurs manager after Mauricio Pochettino, Jose Mourinho, Nuno Espirito Santo and Antonio Conte to beat Guardiola’s side at the ground.
: Reuters /Carl Recine
Guardiola looked momentarily bemused when asked if this represented “squeaky bum time” for his players and needed his press officer to translate the meaning of Ferguson’s famous phrase to describe those pressure cooker moments in seasons when fans are left shifting restlessly on their seats.
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