“I say it every day and it’s a boring message but it is the truth,” he said. “The most important thing is the next game.” That said, encouraged yesterday to allow that focus to shift, just for a moment, Guardiola admitted he was in no doubt this title race will not just be close but is destined to go right down to the wire. Liverpool’s second successive slip against West Ham on Monday night saw Manchester City leapfrog them in bookmakers’ eyes if not in the table. However victory on Wednesday at Everton will put Guardiola’s side on top and send reverberations across Stanley Park to Anfield and beyond. Moreover, according to Guardiola, it will fire the starting gun on a battle for the title which he believes could be the tightest since Manchester City won on goal difference in 2012 when Sergio Aguero’s 94th minute winner sent the Etihad spinning. Guardiola has long since maintained that last season’s cruise to a 19 points victory was the outlier, the exception which proves the rule that the Premier League is the hardest fought league contest in world football. And yesterday as if to prove his point, the Spaniard insisted that this year’s renewal was not simply a match between his side and Liverpool but a four or even five way contest in which Manchester United could feasibly still contend. While it is hard to believe that the winner could come from outside of City, Liverpool or Spurs – bookmakers list United and Chelsea at 250-1 and 500-1 respectively – Guardiola is convinced several twists lie ahead. “Now we see the table and see the first two or three and we don’t look further than that,” he said. “But I have never said Tottenham are not there and Chelsea can win games in a row and be a contender. “There are 39 points to play and they are nine behind [this morning]. It’s not too much. Everyone is ready to take points.” Guardiola has seven title triumphs under his belt already – three La Liga titles with Barcelona, three Bundesliga with Bayern Munich and last season’s Premier League title with City – and all but two of them have been achieved by nine points or more. The exceptions were the final two titles in Spain and, for all that he is far more used to a cakewalk, it is parallels with the first of those in 2009-10 which could stand him in good stead from now until May. Back then Barcelona beat a Real Madrid side coached by Manuel Pellegrini by three points having taken top spot eight games from the end of the season and hanging on grimly. Asked yesterday whether that experience might help him manage City to this title, Guardiola insisted if City can get through February and remain in touch then it was possible. “Everyone talks about December but after Boxing Day was finished and I see the schedule I said this is even worse. January is Carabao Cup and FA Cup against teams from Championship and League One which with respect is different,” he said. “February is tougher than December. “After this month and into March when the days are longer, you
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