Pep Guardiola has made a surprising title race claim while revealing his side’s plans for the upcoming winter break.
No Premier League matches will be scheduled from January 14 to January 30, 2024, with a return to action on January 31.
Manchester City are currently five points behind Liverpool, although they have a game in hand over their title rivals.
Nonetheless, the Cityzens normally gather some form and momentum towards the end of the campaign.
Additionally, they have been without star duo Kevin De Bruyne and Erling Haaland, who are both now returning to action.
The Cityzens will face Newcastle United this Saturday as they attempt to take advantage of their game in hand.
What did Pep Guardiola say?
Speaking after his side’s 5-0 win over Huddersfield in the FA Cup, the Spanish manager said (via the Manchester World):
“In the Premier League, we have one game in hand. We have a big rival, Liverpool is back, Arsenal, many good teams are there, Tottenham, it’s important to be there.”
“But in the same time we know we can’t drop points much or it will be difficult.”
Guardiola then explained what his side will be doing during the short-break in Premier League action:
“Now we have a difficult game in Newcastle and then we have two weeks to refresh our minds and go to Abu Dhabi to train in better conditions.”
“In the second part, what I want is everyone to arrive fit. I want Kevin back, Erling back, Jeremy [Doku] back and Jack [Grealish].”
“When we have everyone back we have a team that can compete in different competitions until the end.”
Manchester City are warming up
It then seems like the reigning Premier League champions are getting ready for the business end of the season.
They are going to Abu Dhabi to train in warmer weather, and presumably to fix some of the issues that have been plauging them.
Defensively, the Manchester club have looked suspect at times, with 4-4 and 3-3 draws with Chelsea and Tottenham highlighting their fragilities at the back.
It does look like the title race is shaping up for another Liverpool vs Manchester City affair, but many things can still happen this season.