Excuse Me, It's Time for Manchester City's Winning Sprint

MANCHESTER, FRIDAY - If the English Premier League is likened to a marathon, then Manchester City deserves to be crowned as the best long-distance runner. Under Manager Pep Guardiola, City has never eased up as they approach the finish line. They consistently accelerate when their competitors begin to struggle.

The charm of resilience and mentality of the City squad is once again evident as the season draws to a close. Having previously trailed nine points behind the championship favorites Arsenal, they now have the potential to narrow the gap to two points if they win against Newcastle United at the Etihad Stadium, Manchester, on Sunday (22/2/2026) at 03:00 WIB.

Arsenal remains at the top of the standings, but City already holds its championship destiny in its own hands. With 12 matches remaining, Guardiola's team can secure the title if they win all their remaining games. Furthermore, City and Arsenal are scheduled to meet in mid-April.

Nico O’Reilly, a midfielder for City, stated that discussions about the championship title have begun to intensify in the team's locker room. "We are definitely talking about it. For us, the main goal right now is to secure three points in every match and continue to put pressure on Arsenal. That is all we can do," he said.

Never doubt Erling Haaland and his teammates as they approach the finish line. History proves that they are always capable of accelerating in the final phase of the competition. Just look at the last four seasons, where they have managed to earn an average of 30 points out of a maximum of 36 points in the last 12 matches.

Even when experiencing the greatest performance turbulence during a transitional period, namely the 2024-25 season, City was still able to accumulate 27 points (8 wins, 3 draws, 1 loss) in their last 12 matches. This trend surpasses all teams in the league, including the champion Liverpool.

Interestingly, in the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons, City managed to win after making a sprint towards the finish line. They consecutively overtook Arsenal, who suddenly fell behind. A similar situation is being attempted to be repeated by "The Citizens" this season. They have the capability to repeat that history.

The trend of City's resurgence at the end of the season has become a pattern. This occurs due to the manager's habit of enjoying trying many new things in the first half of the season. After being satisfied with the experiments, Guardiola then determines the best formula to be used for the final phase of the season.

Newcastle have always struggled to travel to the home of big clubs, especially the Etihad Stadium.

In this season, City has started to accelerate as they have found stability in the midfield. Ballon d'Or-winning midfielder, Rodri, has returned from injury and is able to play regularly. Although Rodri has not yet shown his best performance following a long injury, Guardiola has been able to manage this situation.

O'Reilly, who originally plays as a wing-back, has been assigned to accompany Rodri in the midfield in recent weeks. As a result, Rodri no longer has to deal with the opponent's transition threats alone. The great energy of the 20-year-old O'Reilly complements the experience of the veteran midfielder.

The role of the wing-back has been returned to Rayan Ait-Nouri. "Rodri is amazing. Everything he does is very neat. It is an honor to play alongside him. Playing next to him and learning from him every day, even during training, is very helpful for me," said O'Reilly.

On paper, City should be able to easily overcome Newcastle. Newcastle did manage to defeat City in their first meeting at home, but the context of this match is quite different. The team coached by Eddie Howe has always struggled when visiting the homes of major clubs, particularly at the Etihad Stadium.

It is evident that in the last 16 meetings between the two teams at the Etihad Stadium, City has always emerged victorious. "The Citizens" even defeated Newcastle 3-1 using a second-string team during their last encounter in the second semifinal of the English League Cup, approximately two weeks ago.

Newcastle can only rely on the positive momentum gained from their last three away matches. They achieved consecutive victories against Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 (domestic league), Aston Villa 3-1 (FA Cup), and Qarabag FK 6-1 (Champions League). According to Howe, the performance against Qarabag was the best of the season so far.