{"id":2325,"date":"2026-04-13T01:21:22","date_gmt":"2026-04-13T01:21:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/disport.com.ng\/?p=2325"},"modified":"2026-04-13T01:21:22","modified_gmt":"2026-04-13T01:21:22","slug":"gary-neville-arsenal-must-balance-emotion-ahead-of-man-city-showdown-in-the-premier-league-next-sunday-football-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/disport.com.ng\/?p=2325","title":{"rendered":"Gary Neville: Arsenal must balance emotion ahead of Man City showdown in the Premier League next Sunday | Football News"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div data-component-name=\"ui-article-body\" data-testid=\"article-body\" data-highlight-intro=\"true\">\n<p>Gary Neville says Arsenal must balance their emotions ahead of a crucial Premier League title showdown with Manchester City next Sunday, live on <em>Sky Sports.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>In another dramatic twist in the title race, the Gunners lost 2-1 to Bournemouth in the Saturday lunchtime kick-off, opening the door for Pep Guardiola&#8217;s side to close the nine-point gap even further.<\/p>\n<p>It was a chance they took with both hands too, resoundingly beating Chelsea 3-0 to cut Arsenal&#8217;s lead to six points with the pair set to meet at the Etihad next weekend in what is being billed as a title-defining match.<\/p>\n<p>Man City will have a week to prepare for the game, while Arsenal play their Champions League quarter-final second leg at home to Sporting Lisbon on Wednesday as they look to reach the competition&#8217;s final four.<\/p>\n<p>However, it is a game that Neville thinks will be beneficial to the Gunners as they look to bounce back from the Bournemouth defeat, and explains on <em>The Gary Neville Podcast<\/em> why a first title win in 22 years was never going to come easy.<\/p>\n<div class=\"sdc-article-widget sdc-article-custom-markup \" data-component-name=\"ui-article-custom-markup\" data-consent=\"pending\" data-vendor-name=\"captivate\" data-testid=\"article-custom-markup\">\n<section aria-label=\"Consent required\" class=\"ui-consent-roadblock\" data-component-name=\"ui-consent-roadblock\" data-testid=\"consent-roadblock\" data-aspect-ratio=\"16\/9\" style=\"--width: 7; --height:4;\">\n<div class=\"ui-consent-roadblock-body\">\n        <span class=\"ui-consent-roadblock-body__title\" data-testid=\"consent-roadblock-title\">Captivate<\/span><br \/>\n            <span class=\"ui-consent-roadblock-body__description\" data-show-on-fallback=\"false\" data-testid=\"consent-roadblock-description\"><\/p>\n<p>                This content is provided by <span class=\"ui-consent-roadblock-body__vendor-title\" data-testid=\"consent-roadblock-vendor-name-in-description\">Captivate<\/span>which may be using cookies and other technologies.<br \/>\n                To show you this content, we need your permission to use cookies.<br \/>\n                You can use the buttons below to amend your preferences to enable <span class=\"ui-consent-roadblock-body__vendor-title\" data-testid=\"consent-roadblock-vendor-name-in-description\">Captivate<\/span> cookies or to allow those cookies just once.<br \/>\n                You can change your settings at any time via the <a href=\"#privacy-options\">Privacy Options<\/a>.<br \/>\n            <\/span><br \/>\n            <span class=\"ui-consent-roadblock-body__description\" data-show-on-fallback=\"true\" data-testid=\"consent-roadblock-description\"><\/p>\n<p>                Unfortunately we have been unable to verify if you have consented to <span class=\"ui-consent-roadblock-body__vendor-title\" data-testid=\"consent-roadblock-vendor-name-in-description\">Captivate<\/span> cookies.<br \/>\n                To view this content you can use the button below to allow <span class=\"ui-consent-roadblock-body__vendor-title\" data-testid=\"consent-roadblock-vendor-name-in-description\">Captivate<\/span> cookies for this session only.<br \/>\n            <\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"ui-consent-roadblock-body__link-group\">\n                <a href=\"#\" class=\"ui-consent-roadblock-body__link ui-consent-roadblock-permanently\" data-single-click-vendor-name=\"captivate\" data-show-on-fallback=\"false\" data-testid=\"consent-roadblock-allow\">Enable Cookies<\/a><br \/>\n                <a href=\"#\" class=\"ui-consent-roadblock-body__link ui-consent-roadblock-once\" data-single-click-vendor-name=\"captivate\" data-testid=\"consent-roadblock-allow-once\">Allow Cookies Once<\/a>\n            <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<h3>&#8216;Arsenal must balance emotion and swim against the tide this week&#8217;<\/h3>\n<p>&#8220;I said a few months ago that Arsenal have to win this title from the position that they&#8217;re in and I still believe they have to because it&#8217;s a long road back at the end of the season. If they don&#8217;t win it this year, it will really be traumatic.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We know the build-up to the game next week, what the narrative is going to be against Arsenal &#8211; that Man City are going to catch you, and there seems to be a sense of joy watching Arsenal collapse. They&#8217;ve got to try and swim against the tide and hold their nerve.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;They&#8217;ve got a job to do in midweek in the Champions League, which actually might be helpful for them. If Arsenal had a week to think about this match (against Man City), I don&#8217;t think it would help them at all. They can maybe get some confidence through progressing to the Champions League semi-final.<\/p>\n<div class=\"sdc-article-widget sdc-site-video sdc-article-widget callfn\" data-account-id=\"6058004149001\" data-amp-iframe-embed=\"\" data-asset-id=\"82338151-a89d-4eb6-a507-d976ee4c5180\" data-asset-path=\"\" data-asset-version=\"\" data-autoplay=\"false\" data-auth-config=\"{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/api.condatis.sky\\\/auth\\\/video\\\/token&quot;,&quot;tokenRequired&quot;:true,&quot;fetchMethod&quot;:&quot;url&quot;,&quot;fetchOptions&quot;:{&quot;encoded&quot;:true},&quot;headers&quot;:{&quot;X-SkyGDP-Proposition&quot;:&quot;sportweb&quot;,&quot;X-SkyGDP-Territory&quot;:&quot;GB&quot;,&quot;Authorization&quot;:&quot;OGY5ZDgxZjRhNzYwNGQ3MTljMjFhMDJlOGVmODRhYzA=&quot;}}\" data-caption=\"FREE TO WATCH: Highlights from Arsenal\u2019s match against Bournemouth in the Premier League.\" data-clip-type=\"Highlight\" data-component-name=\"sdc-site-video\" data-component-name-alias=\"ui-sitewide-video\" data-competition=\"\" data-copy-url-text=\"URL copied to clipboard\" data-fn=\"sdc-site-video\" data-id=\"id_82338151-a89d-4eb6-a507-d976ee4c5180\" data-is-live-stream=\"false\" data-lite=\"true\" data-options=\"\" data-originator-id=\"50\" data-originator-handle=\"brightcove-plclips-gb\" data-package-name=\"\" data-provider=\"brightcove\" data-player-id=\"FkTAlw1HuO\" data-playsinline=\"\" data-sensitive=\"\" data-sdc-id=\"7216994\" data-sdc-video-id=\"82338151-a89d-4eb6-a507-d976ee4c5180\" data-sport-category=\"\" data-state=\"loading\" data-token-state=\"none\" data-video-ad-unit=\"football\/premier-league-clips\" data-video-blacklisted-originator-ids=\"\" data-video-id=\"ref:82338151-a89d-4eb6-a507-d976ee4c5180\" data-video-type=\"Highlight\" data-auto-pause-on-not-visible=\"\" data-defer-source=\"\" tabindex=\"-1\" data-closed-captions-position=\"\" data-show-closed-captions=\"false\" data-show-pip=\"\" data-show-live-stream-scrubber=\"\" data-autoload=\"\" data-testid=\"sitewide-video\">\n<div class=\"sdc-site-video__inner\">\n<div class=\"sdc-site-video__content\" data-role=\"bridge-controller\" style=\"padding-bottom: calc(100% \/ ());\">\n<p class=\"sdc-site-video__accessibility-message\" data-role=\"accessibility-message\">Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player<\/p>\n<p>          <span aria-hidden=\"true\" data-role=\"poster\" class=\"sdc-site-video__poster\"><br \/>\n            <img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/e0.365dm.com\/26\/04\/768x432\/skysports-arsenal-bournemouth_7217002.jpg?20260411144021\" alt=\"Arsenal vs Bournemouth hls\" srcset=\"https:\/\/e0.365dm.com\/26\/04\/768x432\/skysports-arsenal-bournemouth_7217002.jpg?20260411144021 600w,https:\/\/e0.365dm.com\/26\/04\/1600x900\/skysports-arsenal-bournemouth_7217002.jpg?20260411144021\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"sdc-site-video__poster-img excluded-image\" data-testid=\"sitewide-video-poster\"\/><br \/>\n          <span class=\"sdc-site-video__loader\" data-testid=\"sitewide-video-loader\"\/><\/p>\n<p>          <\/span><\/p>\n<p>          <video id=\"id_82338151-a89d-4eb6-a507-d976ee4c5180\" data-embed=\"default\" data-application-id=\"\" class=\"video-js sdc-site-video__tag\" controls=\"\" playsinline=\"\" data-testid=\"sitewide-video-video\"\/>\n        <\/div><figcaption class=\"sdc-site-video__caption ui-media-caption\">\n<p>          <span class=\"ui-media-caption__caption-text\" data-role=\"caption-text\" data-testid=\"sitewide-video-caption\">FREE TO WATCH: Highlights from Arsenal\u2019s match against Bournemouth in the Premier League.<\/span><br \/>\n        <\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>&#8220;But before next Sunday, they&#8217;ve got to find a balance of that emotion that you need, which is passion and fight to win a football match, but not becoming too desperate.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Arsenal losing on Saturday isn&#8217;t because they don&#8217;t want it &#8211; it&#8217;s because they want it too much and their legs have started to get heavy.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;You&#8217;re going for your first title, you start to become consumed, and it&#8217;s the mentally emotional drain that means your legs physically appear tired.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;That&#8217;s a bit of what we saw against Bournemouth &#8211; the expectation of &#8216;we&#8217;re going to win this match, we&#8217;re going to win a title, and we&#8217;re desperate to do it. We want to be the first to win it in 22 years, and we&#8217;ll be club legends.&#8217;<\/p>\n<div class=\"sdc-article-widget sdc-site-video sdc-article-widget callfn\" data-account-id=\"6058004149001\" data-amp-iframe-embed=\"\" data-asset-id=\"707a2f4f-386c-4371-ab3b-5bdb4167aa25\" data-asset-path=\"\" data-asset-version=\"\" data-autoplay=\"false\" data-auth-config=\"{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/api.condatis.sky\\\/auth\\\/video\\\/token&quot;,&quot;tokenRequired&quot;:true,&quot;fetchMethod&quot;:&quot;url&quot;,&quot;fetchOptions&quot;:{&quot;encoded&quot;:true},&quot;headers&quot;:{&quot;X-SkyGDP-Proposition&quot;:&quot;sportweb&quot;,&quot;X-SkyGDP-Territory&quot;:&quot;GB&quot;,&quot;Authorization&quot;:&quot;OGY5ZDgxZjRhNzYwNGQ3MTljMjFhMDJlOGVmODRhYzA=&quot;}}\" data-caption=\"FREE TO WATCH: Highlights from the Premier League match between Chelsea and Manchester City.\" data-clip-type=\"Highlight\" data-component-name=\"sdc-site-video\" data-component-name-alias=\"ui-sitewide-video\" data-competition=\"\" data-copy-url-text=\"URL copied to clipboard\" data-fn=\"sdc-site-video\" data-id=\"id_707a2f4f-386c-4371-ab3b-5bdb4167aa25\" data-is-live-stream=\"false\" data-lite=\"true\" data-options=\"\" data-originator-id=\"50\" data-originator-handle=\"brightcove-plclips-gb\" data-package-name=\"\" data-provider=\"brightcove\" data-player-id=\"FkTAlw1HuO\" data-playsinline=\"\" data-sensitive=\"\" data-sdc-id=\"7218255\" data-sdc-video-id=\"707a2f4f-386c-4371-ab3b-5bdb4167aa25\" data-sport-category=\"\" data-state=\"loading\" data-token-state=\"none\" data-video-ad-unit=\"football\/premier-league-clips\" data-video-blacklisted-originator-ids=\"\" data-video-id=\"ref:707a2f4f-386c-4371-ab3b-5bdb4167aa25\" data-video-type=\"Highlight\" data-auto-pause-on-not-visible=\"\" data-defer-source=\"\" tabindex=\"-1\" data-closed-captions-position=\"\" data-show-closed-captions=\"false\" data-show-pip=\"\" data-show-live-stream-scrubber=\"\" data-autoload=\"\" data-testid=\"sitewide-video\">\n<div class=\"sdc-site-video__inner\">\n<div class=\"sdc-site-video__content\" data-role=\"bridge-controller\" style=\"padding-bottom: calc(100% \/ ());\">\n<p class=\"sdc-site-video__accessibility-message\" data-role=\"accessibility-message\">Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player<\/p>\n<p>          <span aria-hidden=\"true\" data-role=\"poster\" class=\"sdc-site-video__poster\"><br \/>\n            <img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/e0.365dm.com\/26\/04\/768x432\/skysports-football-premier-league_7218243.jpg?20260412182250\" alt=\"Highlights from the Premier League match between Chelsea and Manchester City.\" srcset=\"https:\/\/e0.365dm.com\/26\/04\/768x432\/skysports-football-premier-league_7218243.jpg?20260412182250 600w,https:\/\/e0.365dm.com\/26\/04\/1600x900\/skysports-football-premier-league_7218243.jpg?20260412182250\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"sdc-site-video__poster-img excluded-image\" data-testid=\"sitewide-video-poster\"\/><br \/>\n          <span class=\"sdc-site-video__loader\" data-testid=\"sitewide-video-loader\"\/><\/p>\n<p>          <\/span><\/p>\n<p>          <video id=\"id_707a2f4f-386c-4371-ab3b-5bdb4167aa25\" data-embed=\"default\" data-application-id=\"\" class=\"video-js sdc-site-video__tag\" controls=\"\" playsinline=\"\" data-testid=\"sitewide-video-video\"\/>\n        <\/div><figcaption class=\"sdc-site-video__caption ui-media-caption\">\n<p>          <span class=\"ui-media-caption__caption-text\" data-role=\"caption-text\" data-testid=\"sitewide-video-caption\">FREE TO WATCH: Highlights from the Premier League match between Chelsea and Manchester City.<\/span><br \/>\n        <\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>&#8220;They&#8217;re not saying that themselves, it&#8217;s the noise around the club, the emotion in the stadium, the expectation, the fact they&#8217;ve not done it in the last two or three years when they&#8217;ve been in this position.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;This is where it gets real. This is the title race now, and they&#8217;ve got to somehow clear their minds and get that emotional balance correct.&#8221;<\/p>\n<div class=\"sdc-site-live-on-sky glints-box glints-box-hover glints-box--mobile-edge  sdc-site-live-on-sky--has-link sdc-article-widget sdc-site-live-on-sky--premierleague\" data-type=\"\" data-component-name=\"sdc-site-live-on-sky\" data-sport=\"\">\n<div class=\"sdc-site-live-on-sky__inner\">\n<div class=\"sdc-site-live-on-sky__wrap\">\n<div class=\"sdc-site-live-on-sky__col sdc-site-live-on-sky__col2\">\n          <span class=\"sdc-site-live-on-sky__time sdc-site-live-on-sky__time--with-kickoff\" data-type=\"Sunday 19th April 4:00pm\"><\/p>\n<p>            Sunday 19th April 4:00pm<br \/>\n          <\/span><br \/>\n            <span class=\"sdc-site-live-on-sky__kickoff-time\"><\/p>\n<p>                Kick off 4:30pm<br \/>\n            <\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"sdc-site-live-on-sky__action\">\n            <img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"sdc-site-live-on-sky__logo sdc-site-live-on-sky__logo--colour\" src=\"https:\/\/e0.365dm.com\/tvlogos\/channels\/1303-Logo.svg?U2t5IFNwb3J0cyBQcmVtaWVyIExlYWd1ZQ==\" alt=\"Sky Sports Premier League\"\/><br \/>\n            <img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"sdc-site-live-on-sky__logo sdc-site-live-on-sky__logo--mono\" src=\"https:\/\/e0.365dm.com\/tvlogos\/channels\/1303-Logo-Mono.svg?U2t5IFNwb3J0cyBQcmVtaWVyIExlYWd1ZQ==\" alt=\"Sky Sports Premier League\"\/><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h3><strong>&#8216;No one was going to hand Arsenal the title &#8211; this is what it should be&#8217;<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>&#8220;Arenal can win the title next weekend at the Etihad.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Maybe I&#8217;ve got more faith in Arsenal than Arsenal have got in themselves, but when you are in a title race, you&#8217;re six games out and you&#8217;ve lost a football match, you&#8217;ve got to put it into perspective.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Can Arsenal put do it clear enough in this next week, in a way which means that they don&#8217;t feel the fatigue in the legs and the pressure of going into this type of match? Can they feel free, like the kid in the playground?<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;That&#8217;s the sort of feeling you want &#8211; that you feel confident and that you feel you can express yourself.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Did they really ever expect that they were going to be handed their first title on a plate by Pep Guardiola and this Manchester City team, or by the Premier League? It doesn&#8217;t happen like that.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;You don&#8217;t win your first title by running away with it by 26 points &#8211; it just doesn&#8217;t happen. That&#8217;s not reality. It&#8217;s always going to be a struggle, and there&#8217;s probably been a couple of bad experiences in the previous seasons in getting to this point.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;So everything that&#8217;s happened to them, if they can normalise it and feel that &#8216;this is what we would have expected, no one was just going to hand it to us on a plate and we were going to basically sail over the line and do a victory lap. It&#8217;s not going to work like that, and this is what it should be&#8217;.<\/p>\n<div class=\"sdc-article-widget sdc-site-video sdc-article-widget callfn\" data-account-id=\"6057984924001\" data-amp-iframe-embed=\"\" data-asset-id=\"c9cec4f7-5b8e-4d3c-afc5-dc046f88ab17\" data-asset-path=\"\" data-asset-version=\"\" data-autoplay=\"false\" data-auth-config=\"{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/api.condatis.sky\\\/auth\\\/video\\\/token&quot;,&quot;tokenRequired&quot;:true,&quot;fetchMethod&quot;:&quot;url&quot;,&quot;fetchOptions&quot;:{&quot;encoded&quot;:true},&quot;headers&quot;:{&quot;X-SkyGDP-Proposition&quot;:&quot;sportweb&quot;,&quot;X-SkyGDP-Territory&quot;:&quot;GB&quot;,&quot;Authorization&quot;:&quot;OGY5ZDgxZjRhNzYwNGQ3MTljMjFhMDJlOGVmODRhYzA=&quot;}}\" data-caption=\"Micah Richards and Daniel Sturridge debate who has the edge in the Premier League title race between Arsenal and Man City.\" data-clip-type=\"\" data-component-name=\"sdc-site-video\" data-component-name-alias=\"ui-sitewide-video\" data-competition=\"\" data-copy-url-text=\"URL copied to clipboard\" data-fn=\"sdc-site-video\" data-id=\"id_c9cec4f7-5b8e-4d3c-afc5-dc046f88ab17\" data-is-live-stream=\"false\" data-lite=\"true\" data-options=\"\" data-originator-id=\"49\" data-originator-handle=\"brightcove-sport-gb\" data-package-name=\"\" data-provider=\"brightcove\" data-player-id=\"DESF5xFjJ\" data-playsinline=\"\" data-sensitive=\"\" data-sdc-id=\"7218301\" data-sdc-video-id=\"c9cec4f7-5b8e-4d3c-afc5-dc046f88ab17\" data-sport-category=\"\" data-state=\"loading\" data-token-state=\"none\" data-video-ad-unit=\"videoplayer\" data-video-blacklisted-originator-ids=\"\" data-video-id=\"ref:c9cec4f7-5b8e-4d3c-afc5-dc046f88ab17\" data-video-type=\"\" data-auto-pause-on-not-visible=\"\" data-defer-source=\"\" tabindex=\"-1\" data-closed-captions-position=\"\" data-show-closed-captions=\"true\" data-show-pip=\"\" data-show-live-stream-scrubber=\"\" data-autoload=\"\" data-testid=\"sitewide-video\">\n<div class=\"sdc-site-video__inner\">\n<div class=\"sdc-site-video__content\" data-role=\"bridge-controller\" style=\"padding-bottom: calc(100% \/ ());\">\n<p class=\"sdc-site-video__accessibility-message\" data-role=\"accessibility-message\">Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player<\/p>\n<p>          <span aria-hidden=\"true\" data-role=\"poster\" class=\"sdc-site-video__poster\"><br \/>\n            <img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/e0.365dm.com\/26\/04\/768x432\/skysports-man-city-arsenal_7218313.jpg?20260412192734\" alt=\"Thumbnail\" srcset=\"https:\/\/e0.365dm.com\/26\/04\/768x432\/skysports-man-city-arsenal_7218313.jpg?20260412192734 600w,https:\/\/e0.365dm.com\/26\/04\/1600x900\/skysports-man-city-arsenal_7218313.jpg?20260412192734\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"sdc-site-video__poster-img excluded-image\" data-testid=\"sitewide-video-poster\"\/><br \/>\n          <span class=\"sdc-site-video__loader\" data-testid=\"sitewide-video-loader\"\/><\/p>\n<p>          <\/span><\/p>\n<p>          <video id=\"id_c9cec4f7-5b8e-4d3c-afc5-dc046f88ab17\" data-embed=\"default\" data-application-id=\"\" class=\"video-js sdc-site-video__tag\" controls=\"\" playsinline=\"\" data-testid=\"sitewide-video-video\"\/>\n        <\/div><figcaption class=\"sdc-site-video__caption ui-media-caption\">\n<p>          <span class=\"ui-media-caption__caption-text\" data-role=\"caption-text\" data-testid=\"sitewide-video-caption\">Micah Richards and Daniel Sturridge debate who has the edge in the Premier League title race between Arsenal and Man City.<\/span><br \/>\n        <\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>&#8220;I have thought for a number of years with this Arsenal team that they&#8217;ve got to go and win a game that shakes the world. They&#8217;ve got to go to City next week and win.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;It doesn&#8217;t matter how it happens &#8211; they could get battered in the first half, but be goalless half-time, but then go and nick one with 15 minutes to go, and all of a sudden the lights come on and you&#8217;re nine points clear.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;That&#8217;s what Arsenal have got to believe this week.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The problem they&#8217;ve got is they haven&#8217;t got anybody of experience in the club of winning a title. Gabriel Jesus maybe, but I don&#8217;t think he&#8217;s the type of player that&#8217;s going to translate that to a dressing room. He&#8217;s a good player, but he doesn&#8217;t seem to be that person who can really set the tone.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Mikel Arteta is always looking to try and find a way of how to gain an advantage and he&#8217;s got to try and find something this week.&#8221;<\/p>\n<div class=\"sdc-article-widget sdc-site-video sdc-article-widget callfn\" data-account-id=\"6057984924001\" data-amp-iframe-embed=\"\" data-asset-id=\"f88bd225-01f0-4788-bee3-add9227ea3f6\" data-asset-path=\"\" data-asset-version=\"\" data-autoplay=\"false\" data-auth-config=\"{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/api.condatis.sky\\\/auth\\\/video\\\/token&quot;,&quot;tokenRequired&quot;:true,&quot;fetchMethod&quot;:&quot;url&quot;,&quot;fetchOptions&quot;:{&quot;encoded&quot;:true},&quot;headers&quot;:{&quot;X-SkyGDP-Proposition&quot;:&quot;sportweb&quot;,&quot;X-SkyGDP-Territory&quot;:&quot;GB&quot;,&quot;Authorization&quot;:&quot;OGY5ZDgxZjRhNzYwNGQ3MTljMjFhMDJlOGVmODRhYzA=&quot;}}\" data-caption=\"Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola looks ahead to their match with Arsenal next weekend and says how hard it will be to defeat the Gunners twice in a few weeks, following their Carabao Cup victory.\" data-clip-type=\"\" data-component-name=\"sdc-site-video\" data-component-name-alias=\"ui-sitewide-video\" data-competition=\"\" data-copy-url-text=\"URL copied to clipboard\" data-fn=\"sdc-site-video\" data-id=\"id_f88bd225-01f0-4788-bee3-add9227ea3f6\" data-is-live-stream=\"false\" data-lite=\"true\" data-options=\"\" data-originator-id=\"49\" data-originator-handle=\"brightcove-sport-gb\" data-package-name=\"\" data-provider=\"brightcove\" data-player-id=\"DESF5xFjJ\" data-playsinline=\"\" data-sensitive=\"\" data-sdc-id=\"7218290\" data-sdc-video-id=\"f88bd225-01f0-4788-bee3-add9227ea3f6\" data-sport-category=\"\" data-state=\"loading\" data-token-state=\"none\" data-video-ad-unit=\"videoplayer\" data-video-blacklisted-originator-ids=\"\" data-video-id=\"ref:f88bd225-01f0-4788-bee3-add9227ea3f6\" data-video-type=\"\" data-auto-pause-on-not-visible=\"\" data-defer-source=\"\" tabindex=\"-1\" data-closed-captions-position=\"\" data-show-closed-captions=\"true\" data-show-pip=\"\" data-show-live-stream-scrubber=\"\" data-autoload=\"\" data-testid=\"sitewide-video\">\n<div class=\"sdc-site-video__inner\">\n<div class=\"sdc-site-video__content\" data-role=\"bridge-controller\" style=\"padding-bottom: calc(100% \/ ());\">\n<p class=\"sdc-site-video__accessibility-message\" data-role=\"accessibility-message\">Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player<\/p>\n<p>          <span aria-hidden=\"true\" data-role=\"poster\" class=\"sdc-site-video__poster\"><br \/>\n            <img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/e0.365dm.com\/26\/04\/768x432\/skysports-pep-man-city_7218292.jpg?20260412191759\" alt=\"Pep on Man City v Arsenal\" srcset=\"https:\/\/e0.365dm.com\/26\/04\/768x432\/skysports-pep-man-city_7218292.jpg?20260412191759 600w,https:\/\/e0.365dm.com\/26\/04\/1600x900\/skysports-pep-man-city_7218292.jpg?20260412191759\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"sdc-site-video__poster-img excluded-image\" data-testid=\"sitewide-video-poster\"\/><br \/>\n          <span class=\"sdc-site-video__loader\" data-testid=\"sitewide-video-loader\"\/><\/p>\n<p>          <\/span><\/p>\n<p>          <video id=\"id_f88bd225-01f0-4788-bee3-add9227ea3f6\" data-embed=\"default\" data-application-id=\"\" class=\"video-js sdc-site-video__tag\" controls=\"\" playsinline=\"\" data-testid=\"sitewide-video-video\"\/>\n        <\/div><figcaption class=\"sdc-site-video__caption ui-media-caption\">\n<p>          <span class=\"ui-media-caption__caption-text\" data-role=\"caption-text\" data-testid=\"sitewide-video-caption\">Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola looks ahead to their match with Arsenal next weekend and says how hard it will be to defeat the Gunners twice in a few weeks, following their Carabao Cup victory.<\/span><br \/>\n        <\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<h3>&#8216;A perfect situation for Man City, but Arsenal will crawl over line&#8217;<\/h3>\n<p>&#8220;For Man City, they&#8217;re going to ramp it right up this. Pep Guardiola and his players have got the perfect situation.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The Man City crowd have seen titles before and their manager is an absolute legend, one of the greatest of all time. He&#8217;ll be right up for this game next Sunday.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s almost perfection for him, and you&#8217;ve got Rodri, you&#8217;ve got (Gianluigi) Donnarumma, you&#8217;ve got (Erling) Haaland, you&#8217;ve got (Phil) Foden, you&#8217;ve got Bernardo Silva, all these players who&#8217;ve won it before.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s a great contrast that we build towards next weekend, and I can&#8217;t wait for it.<\/p>\n<div class=\"sdc-article-widget sdc-site-video sdc-article-widget callfn\" data-account-id=\"6057984924001\" data-amp-iframe-embed=\"\" data-asset-id=\"d9e2a8cf-e5b7-41da-a4ad-e2bf5da3d67c\" data-asset-path=\"\" data-asset-version=\"\" data-autoplay=\"false\" data-auth-config=\"{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/api.condatis.sky\\\/auth\\\/video\\\/token&quot;,&quot;tokenRequired&quot;:true,&quot;fetchMethod&quot;:&quot;url&quot;,&quot;fetchOptions&quot;:{&quot;encoded&quot;:true},&quot;headers&quot;:{&quot;X-SkyGDP-Proposition&quot;:&quot;sportweb&quot;,&quot;X-SkyGDP-Territory&quot;:&quot;GB&quot;,&quot;Authorization&quot;:&quot;OGY5ZDgxZjRhNzYwNGQ3MTljMjFhMDJlOGVmODRhYzA=&quot;}}\" data-caption=\"Man City fan pretends to drink from an Arsenal water bottle after Man City go 3-0 up against Chelsea.\" data-clip-type=\"\" data-component-name=\"sdc-site-video\" data-component-name-alias=\"ui-sitewide-video\" data-competition=\"\" data-copy-url-text=\"URL copied to clipboard\" data-fn=\"sdc-site-video\" data-id=\"id_d9e2a8cf-e5b7-41da-a4ad-e2bf5da3d67c\" data-is-live-stream=\"false\" data-lite=\"true\" data-options=\"\" data-originator-id=\"49\" data-originator-handle=\"brightcove-sport-gb\" data-package-name=\"\" data-provider=\"brightcove\" data-player-id=\"DESF5xFjJ\" data-playsinline=\"\" data-sensitive=\"\" data-sdc-id=\"7218234\" data-sdc-video-id=\"d9e2a8cf-e5b7-41da-a4ad-e2bf5da3d67c\" data-sport-category=\"\" data-state=\"loading\" data-token-state=\"none\" data-video-ad-unit=\"videoplayer\" data-video-blacklisted-originator-ids=\"\" data-video-id=\"ref:d9e2a8cf-e5b7-41da-a4ad-e2bf5da3d67c\" data-video-type=\"\" data-auto-pause-on-not-visible=\"\" data-defer-source=\"\" tabindex=\"-1\" data-closed-captions-position=\"\" data-show-closed-captions=\"true\" data-show-pip=\"\" data-show-live-stream-scrubber=\"\" data-autoload=\"\" data-testid=\"sitewide-video\">\n<div class=\"sdc-site-video__inner\">\n<div class=\"sdc-site-video__content\" data-role=\"bridge-controller\" style=\"padding-bottom: calc(100% \/ ());\">\n<p class=\"sdc-site-video__accessibility-message\" data-role=\"accessibility-message\">Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player<\/p>\n<p>          <span aria-hidden=\"true\" data-role=\"poster\" class=\"sdc-site-video__poster\"><br \/>\n            <img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/e0.365dm.com\/26\/04\/768x432\/skysports-man-city-fan_7218265.jpg?20260412183811\" alt=\"Thumbnail\" srcset=\"https:\/\/e0.365dm.com\/26\/04\/768x432\/skysports-man-city-fan_7218265.jpg?20260412183811 600w,https:\/\/e0.365dm.com\/26\/04\/1600x900\/skysports-man-city-fan_7218265.jpg?20260412183811\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"sdc-site-video__poster-img excluded-image\" data-testid=\"sitewide-video-poster\"\/><br \/>\n          <span class=\"sdc-site-video__loader\" data-testid=\"sitewide-video-loader\"\/><\/p>\n<p>          <\/span><\/p>\n<p>          <video id=\"id_d9e2a8cf-e5b7-41da-a4ad-e2bf5da3d67c\" data-embed=\"default\" data-application-id=\"\" class=\"video-js sdc-site-video__tag\" controls=\"\" playsinline=\"\" data-testid=\"sitewide-video-video\"\/>\n        <\/div><figcaption class=\"sdc-site-video__caption ui-media-caption\">\n<p>          <span class=\"ui-media-caption__caption-text\" data-role=\"caption-text\" data-testid=\"sitewide-video-caption\">Man City fan pretends to drink from an Arsenal water bottle after Man City go 3-0 up against Chelsea.<\/span><br \/>\n        <\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>&#8220;I do feel now is the time for Arsenal. I&#8217;m not going to go and say it&#8217;s now or never, but it does feel a bit like because if you&#8217;ve had five years of trying to climb that mountain, and you&#8217;ve just failed at that final hurdle each time, there has to be a moment where you get over the line.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Arsenal will crawl over the line. I don&#8217;t think they&#8217;ll get over the line easily, they might even lose next week, but I do think they&#8217;ve probably got a little bit of a cushion.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Manchester City aren&#8217;t perfect, and Arsenal will just get there, but they&#8217;re in a lot more trouble than they were at 12.30pm on Saturday, when they were just about to kick off against Bournemouth.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Gary Neville says Arsenal must balance their emotions ahead of a crucial Premier League title<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2326,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pagelayer_contact_templates":[],"_pagelayer_content":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2325","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arsenal"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/disport.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2325","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/disport.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/disport.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/disport.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/disport.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2325"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/disport.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2325\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/disport.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2326"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/disport.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2325"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/disport.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2325"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/disport.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2325"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}