Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has stated he has “never trusted anything” regarding referees and VAR, following a decisive moment in the Premier League title race.
Arsenal moved five points clear of City with just two matches remaining after a narrow 1-0 win over West Ham on Sunday. The hosts were denied a late equalizer after a VAR review ruled a foul on goalkeeper David Raya.
City can close the gap back to two points when they host Crystal Palace on Wednesday, but Guardiola insists his focus is solely on his team’s performances rather than officiating decisions.
He said: “What is important is tomorrow, then we’ll see what happens when we get to the next one. I always learned that when you lose focus, you’re in a dangerous situation. Only we can do what we have to do and do it better. That is only in our control.”
“We lost the two FA Cup finals because the referees didn’t do their job that they should do. Even the VAR. When this happened, it’s because we have to do better. Not the referees. I have never trusted anything [with VAR] since I arrived a long time ago. You have to do it better. Do it better. If you want to be in that position, do better because you have to blame yourselves.”
“That [VAR] is a flip of a coin. You have to do it better yourself. That is Crystal Palace, focus, focus and focus. Of course, it’s not in our hands in this Premier League. I always said to the players when I arrived here and in Barcelona and Bayern Munich: ‘Guys do it better’. The other one is a job for the statements and institutions which rule the competition.”
Asked whether Arsenal’s important win had affected his players, Guardiola replied: “I haven’t seen the players yet. I always give them a day off. Crystal Palace – thinking what we have to do. I’ve always learned, in my career as a manager, what you cannot control, forget about it. Do better (than) what you have not done better this season and arrive in better positions to fight for the Premier League. We are still fighting.”
Crystal Palace could play a significant role in the title race as they also face Arsenal in the final round of fixtures. However, with the Conference League final to prepare for, Palace manager Oliver Glasner might rotate his squad. He hinted: “I’m responsible for Crystal Palace and I get paid for doing the best things for Crystal Palace and not for City and not for Arsenal.”
Guardiola expects Palace to remain tough opponents regardless of the lineup. He said: “They are so professional. Crystal Palace will play top against us. We saw Leeds against Spurs yesterday, how they are now out of the relegation battle, but how they compete. We’ve played here against Aston Villa and West Ham in the past when they had nothing to play for and saw how difficult it was. So I’m pretty sure they will do their best even though they have a final a few days later. They have always been tough games. The quality is there.”
City are hopeful that midfielder Rodri will prove his fitness after missing four games with a groin injury, while defender Abdukodir Khusanov could also return. Guardiola confirmed both players are “better” and would be assessed in training.
