Guardiola declares season begins now as Man City chase Arsenal

Pep Guardiola announced on Friday that the true season commences now as Manchester City aim to close the gap on Arsenal who lead the Premier League.

City reduced the deficit to the Gunners to four points prior to the latest international break by beating title holders Liverpool 3-0 following Arsenals failure to win in a 2-2 stalemate against Sunderland.

Before his teams game against Newcastle on Saturday Guardiola faced questions on the significance of any shift in momentum from those outcomes.

The City manager recognised the need to prevent flawless Arsenal from gaining too much of an advantage although he noted the campaign remains early.

The sensation I experienced previously when we competed fiercely against Liverpool suggested we would lose few points and if they pull ahead significantly it becomes tough to recover he explained.

It mirrored the situation with Liverpool in the previous campaign when they secured the title with four matches remaining he added.

Guardiola who has lifted the Premier League trophy six times with City stressed that no conclusions would be drawn in November.

The season divides into two phases one after the summer transfer window closes and the other following the international break he stated.

With the international break behind us we will stay united until March meeting every three or four days. Now the genuine season truly begins.

The key is to remain in contention stay nearby and then reach the seasons end with an opportunity to compete for the crown.

That is our goal and naturally a victory tomorrow would mark a vital advancement for us.

Should City overcome Eddie Howes underperforming Newcastle they would trail Arsenal by only one point with the latter facing London opponents Tottenham the next day.

Guardiola must manage without midfield players Mateo Kovacic and Rodri for the trip to St James Park.

All players are available apart from Kova and Rodri he confirmed. Rodri is progressing well it has been nearly three weeks since his most recent issue.

He understands the importance of allowing sufficient time to regain full mental and physical sharpness and maintain reliability from here onwards.