Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola gives terse response to question on Premier League title race - ‘I'm not here to give advice to Mikel Arteta’
By Ben Morse
Published 27/02/2026 at 20:33 GMT
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With the Premier League title race coming down to the wire, the pressure is mounting on both Manchester City and Arsenal. And when asked what he remembers from the climax of his first title-winning season at Barcelona, and how a new manager handles those emotions, Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola gave a terse response ahead of his team's game against Leeds United.
'I am not here to give advice to Mikel' - Guardiola shuts down title race experience talk
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Pep Guardiola is clearly in no mood to lend any advice to Arsenal - or their manager Mikel Arteta.
Guardiola’s Manchester City are locked in a thrilling Premier League title race with Arsenal, with City sitting five points behind The Gunners having played a game less.
It looks like it could come down to the wire as the pressure ramps up on both teams. While Guardiola is a seasoned title winner, Arteta is going for his first league trophy as a manager.
In his Friday press conference previewing City’s clash against Leeds United on Saturday, Guardiola was asked what he remembers from his first title-winning season with Barcelona, and what his emotions were as that season came to a close, comparing it to the position Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is in currently.
However, the 55-year-old chose to keep his cards close to his chest.
"I don't remember. I'm not here to give advice to Mikel [Arteta]," he told reporters.
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Watch: Why have Arsenal been so good in the Champions League this season?
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The two will meet in the Carabao Cup final on March 22 as well as in the Premier League on April 18, a game which could decide who will finish as Premier League champions.
There’s also the chance they could meet in the final of the UEFA Champions League if they win all their matches, as they’ve been drawn on opposite sides of the draw.
Arteta worked as Guardiola’s assistant at City before leaving to join Arsenal in 2019, during which time he won two Premier League titles.
But even though the pressure is on his side as the season approaches its climax, Arteta says the whole club is "really excited" for the final few months.
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"Fighting on four fronts, and the way the team is consistently performing, gives us a lot of hope - and positive thoughts about what is coming. But we can only focus on the present. That's where we're going to put our energy, and that's on Sunday," Arteta told reporters on Friday ahead of Arsenal’s clash with Chelsea.
"I focus a lot on what we have to do to continue in the manner and the trajectory that we are as a team, and from there, obviously try to improve."
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