Pep Guardiola believes Manchester City must now win every game to have a chance of pipping Arsenal to the Premier League title.
City resume their pursuit of the Gunners at the top of the table at Chelsea on Sunday after a break of almost a month due to the international break and cup commitments.
Yet even if they take maximum points from their remaining eight games – which include a home clash with Arsenal next week – Guardiola’s side will still need the leaders to slip up.
For that reason, he feels they have no margin for error.
The City manager said: “The situation that we are in in the Premier League, we need to win all of them otherwise it will not give us a chance to try until the end.
“We need to do a lot of points. We were not consistent enough and during the season we dropped points we should have taken. That’s why we are in a position that now we cannot do differently.”
City travel to Stamford Bridge in good heart after winning the Carabao Cup with a confident final victory over Arsenal and then thrashing Liverpool 4-0 in the FA Cup.
Arsenal are in action before them this weekend but Guardiola insisted that makes little difference to City’s approach.
He said: “We have to win our games, playing before or later. Now there are few remaining games in the Premier League, so we have to win every single game.”
City have momentum on their side and will also be encouraged by their strong April record, having won 28 of their last 31 games during that month.
Guardiola, however, is not reading too much into the statistics.
He said: “I have had a lot of yellow cards, that means how excited I am. Not just in April, during the season I have had good energy and I still have good energy.”
City continue to have defensive issues with Ruben Dias again ruled out, John Stones facing a fitness test and Josko Gvardiol a long-term absentee.