Pep Guardiola brushes off title race talk as Man City continue Arsenal pursuit

Pep Guardiola has refused to discuss the pressure of the title race, insisting he was “not here to give advice” to rival manager Mikel Arteta.

Guardiola’s Manchester City trail Arteta’s Arsenal by five points at the top of the Premier League with a game in hand.

The City boss is well-versed in the pressures of such situations, having led his side to six titles and triumphed in a further six league campaigns with Barcelona and Bayern Munich.

By contrast Arteta is chasing his maiden league crown – a position his opposite number claims he has no memory of.

Asked if he could identify with the pressure Arteta was feeling, Guardiola said at a press conference: “I don’t remember. I’m not here to give advice to Mikel.”

City have hauled themselves back into contention in recent weeks after a frustrating spell earlier in the calendar year in which they won just one game in six.

It has raised the prospect of a tense duel in the run-in but Guardiola insists he has not considered that and is focused only on Saturday’s trip to Leeds.

He said: “When we were on this incredible run (competing against) Liverpool years ago, I didn’t know it then before it happened and I don’t know it now. It is Elland Road, and that is the only concern in my mind.”

City learned on Friday they will face Real Madrid yet again in the last 16 of the Champions League.

Guardiola has already played the Spanish giants 11 times since taking charge at City in 2016, including their 2-1 win at the Bernabeu in December.

Guardiola feels the repeated meetings with the record 15-time European champions are good for the prestige of the English club.

He said: “As much as we play against the best teams in the history of the competition you learn and improve and will be better in the future.”

City head to Leeds feeling relatively refreshed having benefited, for the first time in 2026, from having no midweek fixtures over the past fortnight.

Guardiola gave his players a three-day break after last Saturday’s victory over Newcastle.

He said: “They’ve trained really well over these few days and are ready for Elland Road.

“From September, October you don’t have long weeks. The moment you can have, I’ve learned in this country, less is more.

“When we can train less because the schedule allows it we have to, to clean the minds and legs to come back better.”