Manchester City are on the ropes, but Pep Guardiola refuses to throw in the towel: “It's not over!”
Article by Daniel Grigore – Published Sunday, March 15, 2026, 2:09 p.m. / Updated Sunday, March 15, 2026, 2:09 p.m.
Manchester City remained 9 points behind Arsenal at the top of the Premier League, but Pep Guardiola (55) is not throwing in the towel. His team still has 8 matches to play, the “gunners” 7, including the direct duel at Etihad.
Arsenal beat Everton 2-0 at home on Saturday and Manchester City, with Pep Guardiola at home suspended, drew in London, 1-1 with West Ham.
The combination of results left the “citizens” 9 points behind the leaders, with the amendment that Arsenal played an extra game. Should City win their remaining duel, the gap would remain at 6 lengths.
Despite the bleak picture, Guardiola insists his side have a shot at the title. It's a 180-degree change from his pre-match speech, when he said one misstep would be out of the title race.
Arsenal are 9 points clear, but Pep Guardiola is not throwing in the towel
“No, it's not over. We haven't lost. We continue,” Guardiola said on TNT Sports, as quoted by Sky.
Guardiola feels there is room for much better, especially from the middle up. City is also affected by the current form of Erling Haaland, who has not scored since February 11.
“We've grown a lot since the start of the season, but the job isn't done yet. We need creativity and struggle this season. We had to be better in the final third. I didn't make it. It has happened in many games this season. (…)
“Lack of goals… of course we lack. I always think it's about connections and a lot of things that create good interactions. But Erling… we need his goals,” admitted Guardiola.
“We need to create more, like we did in the first half, when he had three chances. We need to create that threat that sometimes we didn't have. He will recover,” concluded the Catalan coach.
