London: Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has said the battle to win the Premier League will be like ‘climbing a mountain’ in the final weeks of the season adding that the holders need to win all of their remaining four matches if they are to be champions once again.
Man City moved back to a point behind leaders Arsenal on Sunday with a 2-0 victory at Nottingham Forest, leaving them in control of the title race because of their match in hand over the Gunners.
The premier league title will return to the Etihad for a fourth successive season if City now win its final quartet of games against Wolverhampton, Fulham, Tottenham Hotspurs and West Ham.
“With four games left, it’s like climbing a mountain. They are very tough games. The only thing is still we extend for one more week it’s in our hands. If we draw a game, we are not going to win the Premier League. It is what it is. We extend this in a difficult game. Now rest a little bit and prepare the next game,” said Guardiola.
The 53-year-old admitted that it was a hard test for Manchester City after securing a crucial three points with a victory over Nottingham Forest. The City boss said the home side Forest were more of a threat than when they picked up a surprise 1-1 draw last season.
“It was really hard. Last season we drew and played much better than today. Knowing the circumstances that we arrived here, we knew the game that was going to happen. We were so lucky that the pitch was so dry. With the chances they had, with better pitch conditions, they would have scored.
“We were incredibly fortunate for that. We suffered but when [Mateo Kovacic] came on in the second half and Bernardo [Silva] was involved in there, we were much, much better,” he said.
(IANS)