Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola knows how important the experience he has in previous Premier League title races will be as they look to replace Mikel Arteta's Arsenal at the top of the league.
If City are to win their fifth title in six seasons, it looks as if there is one team they need to worry about more than anybody else. Before this campaign got underway, many people predicted that Guardiola's side would once again slug it out with Liverpool in a repeat of last term's thrilling finale.
Yet if you would have told fans that City would be five points adrift of first place heading into the World Cup break, with Liverpool sat 10 points behind them in sixth, a certain deal of head-scratching would have ensued.
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Arteta's process at Arsenal has finally clicked into gear this season, as the former protégé of Guardiola has seen the Gunners play what some might call, City-esque football. The Gunners have only lost one league game this season, a 3-1 defeat at the hands of the Blues' bitter rivals Manchester United.
Given the form that the North London side are in, there may be a few nervous conversations happening at City should Arteta's team keep up their momentum after the World Cup's conclusion. After all, the agreement to sell Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko to the Gunners has only strengthened them, something that would never have been sanctioned if they had known it could possibly prevent them from a fifth Premier League title.
There are of course further issues to consider, such as Arsenal's lack of squad depth and that the two sides are yet to play each other home or away - City took six points off Arsenal last season. Yet Guardiola knows above all how important his experience will be, something that Arteta simply cannot copy.
Speaking to Sky Sports last season about his early days in management, he said: "I am a better manager now than I was then. I am more experienced. I know the game better. I know the opponents better. I know the way you have to attack and defend. But if I had not got better it would be a disaster, honestly. I was 37 and now I am 50. You learn."
The Catalan has experienced almost all there is to get your head around in a title race during his time at City, something that Arteta will be far less familiar with.
"The season is so long. You think, 'Oh my god,' but there are many games to play, a thousand million points still to win," Guardiola said. "As bad as it looks when you drop points and think, 'Oh no, it is over, we are not going to do it,' the day after you wake up and think, 'Let's try again.'
"I remember we started last season [2020/21] and after seven or eight games, all the pundits were saying we were not even contenders. Zero chance. Look what happened. We won the Premier League three games before the end. So I do not know what is going to happen."
Even if it takes another final 15-minute comeback to seal the title, Guardiola will be ready for it. Whether or not Arteta can handle a situation like this is still yet to be seen.
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