City manager wants players rested for run-in, Howe wary of Arsenal interest and Moyes wrestles with ‘dark arts’
Pep Guardiola has told his Manchester City players their pursuit of honours in the final three months of the season will depend on their “brains and minds”.
City, who remain in contention for four trophies, meet title rivals Arsenal in the Carabao Cup final and Newcastle in the fifth-round of the FA Cup next month, as well as Real Madrid in the last 16 of the Champions League.
In the Premier League, they are five points behind Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal with a game in hand. City have had no midweek games for two weeks and – after the visit to Leeds on Saturday – Guardiola has given his players Sunday to Tuesday off as he believes the challenge in the defining part of the campaign is more mental than technical.
“There are still things that we should train and practise more, but I prioritised rest,” Guardiola said. “With three months left, there are many things that the team have improved in and still some things that the team has to improve, but now it is the little details.
