Pep: City 'a little late'

Pep Guardiola said Manchester City may already be “a little bit late” in the Premier League title race as his team went into Sunday’s trip to Chelsea nine points behind Arsenal. (sports.yahoo.com) Arsenal stayed top on 70 points after a 2-1 home defeat to Bournemouth on Saturday, while City started the weekend on 61 points with two games in hand. The Premier League said City’s match at Chelsea on April 12 could cut the gap to six before Arsenal visit the Etihad Stadium on April 19. (premierleague.com) Guardiola said the race would be over if City failed to win at Stamford Bridge, calling Arsenal’s lead “big” even after the leaders’ loss. His comments came with seven league matches left for Arsenal and eight for City before kickoff in west London. (sports.yahoo.com, premierleague.com) The arithmetic is what keeps City alive. If City win both games in hand, Arsenal’s nine-point lead becomes three, and next Sunday’s head-to-head in Manchester could pull the teams level on points before goal difference is applied. (premierleague.com) The schedule is part of the story too. Arsenal host Sporting Lisbon in a UEFA Champions League quarterfinal second leg on April 15, while City have had a full week to prepare for Chelsea and then Arsenal after exiting Europe earlier. (premierleague.com, nbcsports.com) Chelsea had their own stakes in the match. The Blues began Sunday sixth on 48 points, four behind fifth-place Liverpool, with the top five in the current table occupying UEFA Champions League places. (premierleague.com, espn.com) Further down, Newcastle’s complaints reflected a different slide. Eddie Howe’s side started the weekend 12th on 42 points, six behind Chelsea and outside the European spots with seven matches left. (premierleague.com, espn.com) For City, the next seven days now shape the season: Chelsea away on April 12, Arsenal at home on April 19, then Burnley away on April 22. Guardiola’s “a little bit late” line fits the table — but not a race that still turns on City’s two spare games and one direct meeting with Arsenal. (premierleague.com, sports.yahoo.com)