Pep Guardiola believes that Arsenal should be proud of their achievement of finishing second in the Premier League this season, ending their seven-year wait for Champions League football. Manchester City are now firm favourites to win the title after beating the Gunners 4-1 on Wednesday, and despite being two points behind Arsenal, Guardiola’s side have two games in hand. Earlier this season, Arsenal were eight points clear and many tipped them to win the Premier League for the first time in 19 years, but a late capitulation has seen them fail to register a victory in their last four games.
Guardiola is not writing Arsenal completely off just yet, pointing to when City dropped points at Nottingham Forest in February three days after beating the Gunners at the Etihad. He said that seven games are still left to play and that Arsenal will not give up. City travel to Fulham on Sunday and Guardiola added that they have to try and avoid dropping points again. He believes that if the season ended today, Arsenal would be champions.
The Manchester City manager also believes that Arsenal should be delighted to return to the Champions League for the first time since the 2016-17 season, with the Gunners last finishing in the top four in the 2015-16 campaign. He said that it is a success for them and that they should be proud of their achievement.