Can Arsenal Avoid Guardiola's Oath?

MANCHESTER, THURSDAY — Pep Guardiola has proven his words to continue pursuing Arsenal until the end of the season. This ambition, known as Guardiola's vow, acts like a mantra that drives the City players to become a cold-blooded "killing machine." After Liverpool, Fulham was mercilessly crushed 3-0.

The addition of three points against Fulham in the match at the Etihad Stadium, Manchester, on Thursday (12/2/2026) early morning WIB narrowed the gap between City and Arsenal to three points. City's victory also puts pressure on the league leaders, Arsenal, who will visit Brentford's home ground.

If they can win against Brentford, Arsenal will restore their lead to six points. However, if they lose, City will gain momentum with a three-point gap.

With this result, it means that City has achieved two consecutive victories in the English League. "The Citizens" previously secured a dramatic victory over Liverpool thanks to a penalty goal by Erling Haaland in the final minutes.

Facing Fulham, City once again unleashed their fury even from the first half. They troubled Fulham with their attacking speed and numerous passing combinations in the opponent's final third.

This style of play forced Fulham players to make a number of mistakes in their defensive area.

New winger Antoine Semenyo has already put City ahead in the 24th minute. Semenyo's goal was the result of a combination between Matheus Nunes and Haaland.

Six minutes later, Semenyo orchestrated the second goal for City, scored by Nico O’Reilly. Haaland then extended City’s lead in the 39th minute. Despite being surrounded by two Fulham defenders, Haaland was still able to unleash a powerful low shot with little shooting space.

“(This victory) is very important. That was the message conveyed after the match against Liverpool. We repeated what we did last weekend, working hard and securing three points. Today we did the same. I am very happy,” said Semenyo, as quoted from the club's website.

If it were not for Guardiola's oath, it would be very difficult for City to maintain consistent performance. Guardiola's strong desire to surpass Arsenal has become a kind of motivation for the City players to achieve victory until the final whistle.

According to Guardiola, his team is currently highly focused on targeting Arsenal. He stated that City has the mental capacity and style of play.

"I always say that the focus is to continue to develop. It is about how we can be more consistent for 90 minutes. How we can improve and the players feel that they are doing what we want to do," said Guardiola.

The ambition to catch up with Arsenal seems reminiscent of Guardiola pursuing his first league trophy. In reality, Guardiola has already won the Premier League six times since being appointed as City’s manager in 2016.

This season's issue of it being Guardiola's last managing City is likely to motivate him to give his best. After all, a manager would certainly want to provide the best farewell gift for the club he has managed for a long time.

On the other hand, Arsenal Manager Mikel Arteta stated that he will only focus on his team and not think about other matters, including Guardiola's oath.

"I understand. Those are things we cannot control. It is entirely up to us regarding what needs to be done. We must focus on ourselves, at this moment. We know what is coming every three days and just enjoy it," said Arteta at the press conference ahead of the match against Brentford.

Former City goalkeeper, Shay Given, believes that City has not yet displayed peak performance. There are still several weaknesses that could easily cause them to slip.

"There may still be some weaknesses we haven't seen before. But I think they still have the ability to go on a brilliant and unbeaten run," Given said, as quoted by BBC Sport.

Former England national team striker, Alan Shearer, observes that City is now driven by high confidence and fiery energy. This all began with City's dramatic victory over Liverpool.

Thus, although Guardiola's oath may sound trivial, never underestimate its power. All this time, Guardiola has been adept at managing the rhythm of his team, leading to success with six championships in the last eight editions.

Meanwhile, Arsenal is often mocked as a team struggling for consistency towards the end of the season. For three consecutive seasons, the Gunners have finished as runners-up despite having topped the table in the previous few weeks.

Only consistency can save Arsenal from Guardiola's curse. That consistency can start with a win over Brentford. (REUTERS)