Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola responded with humour when questioned about how to counter Arsenal’s defensive strategy following their 0-0 draw.
The highly anticipated match between the Gunners and the reigning champions ended in a stalemate at the Etihad Stadium.
Despite Arsenal’s impressive goal-scoring form leading up to the game, Mikel Arteta’s defensive approach resulted in a lacklustre offensive display against the defending champions.
Talking after the match, Guardiola said [via The Telegraph]: “How to beat Arsenal’s low block? Kill someone. Play with nine. They defend well and a lot. Surrounding Erling [Haaland]. Be patient and find the pass. They defended well with a lot of people. There are different ways. They did well with the press and then after the block.
“It doesn’t matter how many players you defend: the main target is not to concede. The low block was really difficult [to play against]. We prefer to win obviously but we take the draw.”
According to Guardiola, the Premier League title is now Liverpool and Jurgen Klopp’s to lose. He stated that his Manchester City side is currently the third favorite to win the league, with Arsenal positioned as the second favorite.
Liverpool leads the race with 67 points, closely followed by Arsenal, while City trails behind by three points in third place.
With only nine matchdays left in the season, the battle for the title between these three teams is expected to be intense.
Guardiola and Manchester City can only focus on winning their remaining games and hope for slip-ups from both Arsenal and Liverpool if they are to secure the title for the third consecutive year.