"Arsenal's remaining games are difficult" - Manchester City star claims Premier League title race will go 'all the way to the end'
Manchester City defender Nathan Ake has delivered a fresh verdict on who will be the English champions this season between the Cityzens and league-leaders Arsenal. The Dutch centre-back believes this year's Premier League title is still up for grabs and that the title race will continue until the very end of the season.
Ake said in an interview with Sport Bible:
"I think it's going to go right to the end. It's very tight. Everything can change. We still have to play them [Arsenal] at home, so that's going to be a massive, massive game. We know, from now on, that every game is going to be vital. If you lose one point, if you lose two points."
The Manchester City centre-back added:
“It's so difficult to come back from it. The only thing we can do is win our games. We have a tough test coming up against Liverpool [on Saturday], which is the first one after the international break. That is going to be tough. But we need to win them all.”
Ake believes Arsenal have a tough run of games ahead of them. The Gunners still have Liverpool, Chelsea, and Newcastle United left to play against, which could be a potential period of adversity for Mikel Arteta's side, according to the former Bournemouth man.
Ake said:
“I think all of Arsenal's remaining games are difficult to be fair. In some of our previous games, we dropped points to teams that people didn't expect us to drop points against. But they lost against Everton, too.
"Every game in the league is so difficult. You can't relax at any second because teams will respond. I think it's going to go all the way to the end. The only thing we can do is focus on us and see how it goes.”
Following the international break, Manchester City will face Liverpool on April 1 while Arsenal will lock horns with Leeds United on the same day.
"We'll fight until the end" - Former Manchester City star warns Arsenal that Premier League title race 'isn't over until the final minute'
Former Manchester City star Sergio Aguero seems to agree with Ake as he insisted that the title race against Arsenal is not over yet. While the forward has retired from professional football, he continues to provide support to his former club off the pitch.
Aguero said (via Manchester Evening News):
"It's the beauty of a title race, that much I know. Arsenal are keeping up the pace. I know [Mikel] Arteta very well and respect him a lot, so I know he's sure of how to get the most out of his team and from the many young, ambitious players playing there. We're hot on their heels, though."
The Manchester City legend added:
"We know the Premier League isn't over until the final minute of the final match, from personal experience. We'll fight until the end, that's our DNA. I hope we can close the gap and clinch the title."
Aguero certainly has personal experience in close title races. The Argentine forward scored the iconic goal against Queens Park Rangers to win the 2011-12 Premier League title for Manchester City in emphatic fashion in the very final moments of the campaign.