Guardiola says Arsenal still hold advantage as title race tightens

• Manchester City cut the gap to four points with win over Fulham
• Pep Guardiola says he would rather be in Arsenal’s position
• Mikel Arteta urges focus as title race tightens

Pep Guardiola insists he would prefer Manchester City to be in Arsenal’s position in the Premier League table as the title race intensifies.

City maintained the pressure on the leaders with a 3-0 home win over Fulham, a result that was followed by Arsenal being held to a 1-1 draw by Brentford. The draw means Mikel Arteta’s side remain top, but their lead has been reduced to four points with 12 matches still to play.

Arsenal have now recorded just two wins in their past six league games, prompting questions over whether they can sustain the pace to the finish line. Guardiola, however, believes the advantage still lies firmly with the north London club.

“I would prefer to be in the position Arsenal are in than our position,” he said. “If I were in that position, four points in front of second with 12 games left, I would not be relaxed. But imagine being four points behind, I am even less relaxed. I would still prefer to be in the position Arsenal are in than we are.”

Arteta acknowledged that his side had missed an opportunity to extend their lead but insisted there was little value in dwelling on hypothetical scenarios.

“I understand the gap could be bigger, but that is if, if, if,” he said. “If we had lost at Newcastle, we would have been eight points behind Liverpool in October. Over 10 months in this competition, there are always lots of ifs. You can only focus on what you have to do and try to do that in the best possible way.”

With the run–in approaching, both clubs face a demanding schedule, and the pressure is expected to intensify as the margins at the top remain tight