Pep Guardiola admits he has been impressed ‘more and more’ by Chelsea in their bid to keep up with Arsenal at the top of the Premier League.
Manchester City are now two points behind Premier League leaders Arsenal after their nervy 5-4 victory over Fulham on Tuesday evening.
Guardiola’s side were 5-1 ahead by the 54th minute but conceded three goals in the space of 21 minutes to set up a tense finish at Craven Cottage.
Arsenal have the chance to restore their five-point lead at the top of the table if they beat Brentford at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday night.
Chelsea, meanwhile, will move back to a point behind City if they win away to Leeds United on Wednesday evening.
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Enzo Maresca’s side earned a point from their 1-1 draw with Arsenal at Stamford Bridge on Sunday and delivered an impressive performance with 10 men after Moises Caicedo was sent off in the first half.
Guardiola maintains that overhauling Arsenal this season will be ‘difficult’ and believes Chelsea are also credible title challengers.
‘Arsenal are so strong and so solid,’ Guardiola said after City’s win against Fulham.
‘So I know what we have to do, I know if we drop points it will be so difficult, we have to put in our mindset that it will be difficult but at the same time the Premier League is so long.
‘I promise you I am the oldest manager in the Premier League and have enough experience to make a long, long run to try to fight to win the Premier League. It is so long.
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‘Chelsea impress me more and more every day with Enzo [Maresca], but it’s long.
‘Premier League is so long, many things will happen. We won six Premier Leagues, four or five when we were December, January or February we were behind.
‘The team who wins the Premier League is the team who grows during the months and this is what we try to do. No injuries, it’s so long.
‘But at the same time, if we push, we will be better and push ourselves and control the situations better, the emotions and we will see what happens.’
Ahead of Chelsea’s trip to Leeds, Maresca explained why he is reluctant to consider his side as Premier League title challengers.
‘We are in December, if in February or March we are where we are now, we are going to be title contenders. But if in February or March we are not there… so for me it’s too early,’ Maresca said.
‘From [Leeds] on, we have eight games just in December. In January we have eight games. So they are the two months that are more complicated.
‘If we are able to survive and be there in February or March, for sure we’re going to be there. But now, I don’t know where we’re going to be in February.’
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