On the eve of a Carabao Cup final meeting with Arsenal, Pep Guardiola dismissed suggestions that his rivals were mounting a realistic quadruple challenge. Asked how hard it is to assemble four trophies in a season, Guardiola cut across the premise and drew attention back to his own side.

When a reporter noted Arsenal had won a treble and therefore come close, Guardiola replied: “I mean, you’ve won a treble,” and, after a pause, added: “And quadruple as well.” He went on to explain he was referring to the 2018–19 campaign when Manchester City collected four domestic trophies: the Premier League, FA Cup, Carabao Cup and Community Shield. “I know it’s not as prestigious, like you pretend,” he sniffed with a shrug of his shoulders, “but we did it.”

That remark underlined a recurring point for Guardiola: the status of the Community Shield. He has long expressed frustration at how that one-off season opener is viewed. As he has said in the past: “When Manchester City win the Community Shield, it’s not a title,” he once seethed. “When another team wins the Community Shield, it’s a title.”

Guardiola’s comments arrived shortly after City’s hopes of sweeping all competitions were ended by Real Madrid in the Champions League round of 16 this season. He also reflected on his relationship with Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta, a former assistant at City, and how distance has changed their dynamic. “I don’t have time to go to London, and I don’t think he has time to come to Manchester,” Guardiola admitted. “When we were here [at City] we saw each other five or six hours every day, so the relationship is completely different after his five or six years in London.”

The intervention was measured and pointed: Guardiola would not entertain hype about a rival quadruple while emphasising a past season in which City secured four domestic trophies and pressing his case over how those honours are categorised.

Mikel Arteta insisted Arsenal would prove their credentials after dropping points in back-to-back Premier League games. The Gunners did exactly that at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, mirroring their 4–1 win from November and restoring a more comfortable margin at the top.

Arsenal sit on 61 points with Manchester City on 55. City will have the opportunity to reduce that gap when their rearranged match with Crystal Palace is played. The title contenders remain locked in a long duel that looks likely to run into late May.

Here are the next five league fixtures for each club.

Arsenal (61 points)
– Chelsea (H) – March 1
– Brighton (A) – March 4
– Everton (H) – March 15
– Bournemouth (H) – April 11
– Man City (A) – April 18

Man City (55 points)
– Leeds (A) – Feb. 28
– Nott’m Forest (H) – March 4
– West Ham (A) – March 14
– Chelsea (A) – April 11
– Arsenal (H) – April 18

The two sides also meet in the Carabao Cup final at Wembley on March 22 before the Premier League leaders head to the Etihad Stadium on April 18. While history suggests that head-to-head duels between the league’s top two don’t tend to decide the direction of the title, that April contest will be influential in shaping the summit.

Arsenal cannot assume an untroubled run. Champions League hopefuls Chelsea remain a challenge despite dropping points in consecutive matches. Brighton ended their slump away at Brentford on Saturday. Everton could make a push for Europe, and have been far better away from home this season, so the Toffees’ trip to north London represents a potential banana skin for the Gunners.

Arsenal then have almost a month’s break from the top flight before Bournemouth visit the Emirates Stadium on April 11.

Declan Rice issued a blunt assessment of Arsenal’s position ahead of the north London derby against Tottenham Hotspur, warning that recent poor results could erode the club’s strong standing across four competitions. The midfielder spoke to Sky Sports and addressed the mounting narratives around the team.

Rice dismissed the “outside noise” and the idea of ‘bottling’ but was clear about the consequences of continued inconsistent results. He said the squad “fully believe” in one another and stressed the need to maintain focus. “And we enjoy it every day,” he added. “Of course you do. This is our job—we’re playing for Arsenal, we’re in the final of the [Carabao] Cup, in the next round of the FA Cup, in the [last 16 of the] Champions League, first in the Premier League.

“We need some perspective about where we are, but also we need to look a bit bigger to understand that if we carry on doing what we’re doing in terms of the results, it isn’t going to last.”

Rice underlined Arsenal’s capability to win across competitions, pointing to their earlier domestic and European form, but insisted the players must “pick that up” quickly. “We’ve got to be switched on. You’re going to be ready for everything that’s thrown at you because that’s what is needed for these final games,” he said.

Arsenal still lead the Premier League with Manchester City close behind, leaving the prospect that the Gunners could be overtaken and finish second. In cup competitions Arsenal face decisive fixtures: the Carabao Cup final against Manchester City at Wembley on March 22, a Champions League two-legged tie against one of Borussia Dortmund, Atalanta, Bayer Leverkusen or Olympiacos shortly before then, and an FA Cup fifth-round match against League One’s Mansfield Town on March 7.

The season’s extremes are straightforward: Arsenal could win multiple major trophies for the first time in English football history, or they could finish 2025/26 without silverware and extend their major-trophy drought into a seventh year. For now the title challenge remains in their own hands, but results must improve if that position is to hold.