Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has conceded that the Premier League title race is no longer within his team’s control.
Currently, City find themselves trailing seven points behind the league leaders, Arsenal, though they do have one game in hand over the Gunners.
Guardiola’s side recently settled for a 2-2 draw against Nottingham Forest at the Etihad, while Arsenal managed to secure a 1-0 victory away at Brighton.
Looking ahead to their upcoming Champions League round-of-16 clash with Real Madrid, Guardiola emphasized the importance of his players maintaining the correct mental approach.
He said: “It’s a pity that the Premier League is not in our hands, that was a big drop against Nottingham Forest.
“Don’t think about it much. Just recover, go to Madrid, make a good selection.
“Hopefully we can behave, I’m not talking win or lose, behave in the way who we are.
“It’s always my focus when we play in the big stages against big teams, it’s not win or lose, it’s be who we are as individuals and as a team.
“After that you can win or lose, you never know. But that is the main, main target I have in my mind. The players know it, I say it to them all the time.”
