Manchester City's manager, Pep Guardiola, has dismissed claims that his team's Premier League dominance is 'boring' and scoffed at the suggestion that they have bought their success.
A win against Tottenham tonight would put City two points ahead of Arsenal, virtually securing an unprecedented fourth consecutive title. While the current champions have consistently invested heavily in their squad, they are not alone in this approach.
In fact, last summer saw them outbid by Arsenal as Mikel Arteta secured the signing of Declan Rice, who has played a pivotal role in the Gunners' progress this season. Despite their comparatively low league positions, Chelsea and Manchester United have also splashed out on new talent without achieving significant success or coming close to toppling City from their perch.
When questioned if City's relentless excellence has made the Premier League too predictable, Guardiola issued a cutting response. He said: "People say we will win it because we won it in the past but that doesn't mean it will happen today," he stated.
"Otherwise all the teams (who have won it) still would be winning instead of just winning one. We like to prove they are right but we have to do it. It's boring? It's not. It is so difficult. Before do you know what it was? It was the money.
"It was the reason why Man United should have won all the titles. All of them. And the second Chelsea, all the titles. And third Arsenal. All the titles. They spend much more in the last five years than us. They should be there but they are not."
READ MORE: Roy Keane left red-faced over Arsenal verdict as Mikel Arteta proves former Man United star wrong
READ MORE: BBC makes FA Cup announcement as number of free-to-air games from 2025/26 season revealed
Guardiola, meanwhile, may not understand the phrase ‘squeaky bum time’ but the City boss admits he feels ‘tension’ heading into final week of the season. Guardiola displayed a puzzled look when Sir Alex Ferguson's famous "squeaky bum time" comment was brought up. The infamous quote occurred in 2003 when the then United manager was trying to ramp pressure on title rivals Arsenal.
"Translate please," urged Guardiola. When City’s press officer tried to explain it in a way suitable for a public press conference, he got the meaning.
"A lot of pressure? Why didn't Sir Alex make an easier sentence for this moment?," remarked Guardiola, speaking ahead of his team's journey to Tottenham on Tuesday.
"Now? No. Tomorrow we will feel the tension and the nerves. Of course we will feel it, otherwise it would be a bad sign.
"Every game I feel the right tension, but at the same time I focus on what to do and read what is happening in the game. I try to not be so excited to take bad decisions and make my players a little bit anxious for my behaviour; sometimes it happened unfortunately for me and the team.
"I don't think any competitive football player or manager is numb and relaxed, saying: 'It doesn't matter'. Of course we know what we are playing for. It is like a quarter-final, semi-final second-leg Champions League or FA Cup.
"It is something you can't get back so it's simple. Win OK. Lose, bye, bye. So not very complicated."
Sign up to our Arsenal WhatsApp community and get all the latest breaking news and in-depth stories from football.london's dedicated Arsenal writers straight to your phone!
By signing up to this free service you will be the first to know the news from the Emirates Stadium as it happens.
To join our Arsenal community, all you have to do is click this link and you can join!
If you're curious, you can check out our privacy policy here.
