FOUR Premier League teams could join Man City and Arsenal in the title race, according to Pep Guardiola

Manchester City and Arsenal are far from alone in the Premier League title race, says Pep Guardiola, speaking during his latest press conference.

Speaking to the press ahead of Manchester City’s upcoming Premier League clash against Nottingham Forest at the City Ground on Saturday afternoon, Pep Guardiola has stated that he and Mikel Arteta are far from being engulfed in a two-horse race for the league crown.

“It’s close,” insisted the City manager. “(Manchester) United, Newcastle; they are close, really close. There are a lot of games, of course. They are there.”

“In Tottenham, I would say they’re not far, far away. And Brighton, they have two games in hand, and the way they are playing, they deserve to be there. Brighton control games like no other team.” Pep Guardiola then reiterated, “Many things can happen, many things.”

Manchester City’s own resurgence in the ongoing title race has not gone without trying however, and in the words of Pep Guardiola, a bit of luck.

The City boss has been keen to insist that if it was not for certain results going their way over the course of the last few weeks, then his current league champions could be as many as 12 points behind Mikel Arteta’s imperious Arsenal side at the summit.

When asked whether he still felt his side were close to Arsenal after the 1-0 defeat to Spurs a fortnight ago, Pep Guardiola responded, “No. Right now, we could be 10 or 12 points behind. We’re a little lucky; they win at Everton, we lost at Spurs, we lose at Arsenal, it would be 10 points, the game is over.”

“We are top of the league right now, we slept two nights. Just two nights, in this season, top of the league, with another game left against Arsenal. That’s why you can never, never, never give up. The biggest athletes, never.”

But how could it be a Pep Guardiola press conference without a reference to either his beloved golf, or some of Manchester City’s most controversial officiating decisions and Champions League nights.

The Catalan coach included all of that, as he continued, “This weekend, it’s the best weekend because Tiger (Woods) is back. He’s playing in Genesis Invitational golf. And we have to learn off the greatest, and the greatest never give up. Never, ever. He’s two over, one over, always he’s doing it, he’s doing it. And at the end, he finishes the last round with birdie, birdie, birdie.”

“So, you can never, being 12 points clear, being top, you can never give up, until the end. Until the end. (Thibaut) Courtois saves with the (tip of his finger), and you’re not in the final of the Champions League. It’s football.”

“One handball for the referee, no handball for the referee, every time we are more in the handballs for the referee in the decisions that they decide, in favour or against. Always we are more in the VAR for the handball referee decisions. So you have to accept.”

“That’s why try to do your best, never give up, continue; one step more, one step more, one step more. And at the end, we will see what happens. We win? Congratulate me, friends. We don’t win? We congratulate them.”

Manchester City’s next challenge in the Premier League takes them to the City Ground, as newly-promoted Nottingham Forest are expected to pose a very different challenge to Pep Guardiola’s side compared to Arsenal in midweek.

City know that if they were to match or better Arsenal’s result – with Mikel Arteta’s side going up against Aston Villa in the early Saturday lunch-time kick-off – then they will retain their spot at the top of the league, despite the Gunners’ game in hand.