Pep Guardiola was caught giving Crystal Palace players an animated pep talk at full-time following Manchester City’s 3-0 win on Wednesday night.
The timing of this won’t be lost on Arsenal fans.
With the Premier League title race entering its final straight, what Guardiola was doing was far from subtle.
As we know, Crystal Palace host league leaders Arsenal on the final day of the season, while City, two points behind, welcome Aston Villa to the Etihad Stadium.
Guardiola knows exactly what is at stake, and he was clearly making sure the Palace players did too.
👀 Fill in the blank: Arsenal are taking _ points from the final two Premier League matches…
Jamie Redknapp picked up on it immediately on Sky Sports, offering a comical impression of what Guardiola might have been saying to each player in turn.
“I was watching Pep at the end, he was certainly giving them a team talk and a half, trying to get them going for that game and he was very, very animated,” Redknapp said on Sky Sports.
“We always see him maybe going up to one or two players, but he’s like ‘Jefferson [Lerma], listen, in midfield you’ve got to make sure you get close to Declan Rice… You Lacroix, you’ve been brilliant this season, keep going! If you keep doing good I’ll sign you! Adam [Wharton], you can show that Arsenal midfield!'”
Should Arsenal fans be worried about the Crystal Palace game?
Despite the 3-0 defeat, Arsenal are aware Crystal Palace won’t be a walkover.
Oliver Glasner’s team are physical and are a constant threat on the counter thanks to their technical quality and top forward players.
But Glasner has indicated he will rest key players against the Gunners, ahead of their Europa Conference League final against Rayo Vallecano, which falls just three days after.
Redknapp himself acknowledged that several of the players Guardiola was singling out might not even feature against Arsenal.
What is clear is that Mikel Arteta’s side need just two wins to secure the title. As Guardiola conceded, the title is firmly out of Man City’s control.
Monday night’s home game against Burnley comes first, with the Gunners heavily expected to take care of business at the Emirates.
If they do, the pressure shifts firmly onto City, who travel to a tricky Bournemouth side the following night — a team that haven’t lost since Arsenal beat them at the Vitality Stadium at the start of January.
Should City win, the onus will be back on Arsenal to win at Selhurst Park to secure the title.
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