Manchester City mananger Pep Guardiola has hinted that Arsenal threw away the Premier League title this season. City can lift their fifth title in six years this weekend if they pick up three points against Chelsea at the Etihad Stadium.
Arsenal sit four points adrift of Guardiola's side, having played a game more than their title rivals, but have already secured Champions League football for next season. The Gunners had held the advantage in the race for the title until April after they dropped points against Liverpool, West Ham and Southampton before losing 4-1 against City at the Eithad Stadium.
Mikel Arteta's side have still had a successful season after they missed out on a top four spot last term and will look to strengthen the squad this summer before challenging for the title once again in the 2023/24 campaign. Injuries to William Saliba, Takehiro Tomiyasu and Oleksandr Zinchenko at a crucial period of the season hampered Arsenal's ability to consistently perform at a high level, with City having a much better squad depth as they chase a historic treble.
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Guardiola discussed the importance of the mentality of the two sides down the home straight ahead of City's clash against Chelsea on Sunday. Speaking on Friday, the Spaniard said: "They show many times, we talk about mentality because we won.
"I don't believe, I defend the team when we lose. Last year we didn't have the mentality vs Real Madrid. We have the same mentality. To recover eight points, Arsenal first we have a game in hand, it was fake.
"We knew we had to win the game and they drop points. If Arsenal maintain the rhythm of the first leg, it wouldn't be possible. They drop points and we were there. It means a lot to us."
Guardiola's comments suggest City have a stronger mentality than the Gunners and with Arteta's side dropping points in the run-in to allow the reigning champions to take the advantage in the title race.
City are clearly much more experienced than Arsenal when it comes to winning a title but the Gunners can learn from this season and make amends in future seasons under Arteta.
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