Ahead of the Matchweek 26 fixtures, here are the key quotes from the managers’ press conferences for the crucial matches at both ends of the table.
Pep: 'Newcastle are here to stay'
Although their form has been turbulent of late, Newcastle United will be a force to reckon with in seasons to come.
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Those were the thoughts of Pep Guardiola speaking ahead of his Manchester City's side contest with the Magpies in Saturday's first fixture of the weekend.
"They have not been here for a long time so you always think they need time but they made exceptional recruitment; exactly what they need,” Guardiola said.
"[They have] a manager with huge quality in many, many things. Maybe they will stay there."
Howe hopes focus will revive team
The Magpies have enjoyed a brilliant season thus far, but after defeat to Manchester United in the EFL Cup final last Sunday, and their downturn in form in the league, Newcastle's season is in danger of unravelling.
But Eddie Howe believes his side will get back to their best now that all their focus will lie on finishing as high as possible in the league.
"In the league we have stalled a little bit," he said.
"We have missed a couple of games and haven’t won the games that we wanted to so we need to reignite that.
"As much as we didn’t want it to be, the cup final was a big distraction for us. We want to attack everything and finish as high as we can."
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Man City
MCI
|
38 | +61 | 89 |
| 2 |
Arsenal
ARS
|
38 | +45 | 84 |
| 3 |
Man Utd
MUN
|
38 | +15 | 75 |
| 4 |
Newcastle
NEW
|
38 | +35 | 71 |
| 5 |
Liverpool
LIV
|
38 | +28 | 67 |
Arteta demands more from Arsenal
Arsenal moved five points clear at the top of the Premier League after a convincing 4-0 victory against Everton on Wednesday night, but Mikel Arteta believes his side can still improve.
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They take on AFC Bournemouth, looking to continue their pursuit of a first league title since 2004.
"There’s much more to come," Arteta said on arsenal.com.
"We can do things much better in many aspects of the game, and we still have players with immense growth potential individually and collectively, and as a club as well there are a lot of things we can do much better.
"That’s the aim - we have to be really seeking that excellence and professionalism and trying to recruit the best people and all the time have the right mindset to achieve that level"
Klopp fears Man Utd ‘points machine’
Manchester United have arguably enjoyed their best season since 2016/17 with Erik ten Hag spearheading his side to success across four competitions.
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Liverpool have enjoyed some good form of late, winning three of the last four, and picking up clean sheets in each encounter, but manager Jurgen Klopp knows his side's upturn in form will be tested on Sunday.
"They have turned into a results machine,” Klopp said.
"They are squeezing results out with some really good performances. Top football, and if it is not going so well they still get results.
"That's why they are there. Everyone knows it, they are fully in a fight to win the league. That's not really important for Sunday because we are there as well when we try to be at our best."
Rodgers: ‘Maddison is my Casemiro’
Brendan Rodgers hasn't had much to smile about in recent weeks as Leicester City head into a crunch match against Southampton on Saturday.
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But the Foxes will be boosted by the return of James Maddison who has been likened to Casemiro because of the impact they have in their respective teams.
“He is a very important player for us but it is about the team, James gives another dimension to the team,” Rodgers said.
“Top players make others better and if you look at any team — Casemiro when he comes in for Manchester United — it’s no coincidence when he plays they look a much different team. Why? Because he’s a top player.
“That’s where James has grown to. James is a very influential player for us but it cannot just be about him. Others have to step forward and show the personality, the work and belief he does when he plays.
“What he does, when playing, that spreads around the team. He never hides from the ball, he has that courage to accept that responsibility and that will get the team playing but it’s not just his [responsibility], it’s everyone’s.”
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 |
West Ham
WHU
|
38 | -13 | 40 |
| 15 |
Bournemouth
BOU
|
38 | -34 | 39 |
| 16 |
Nott'm Forest
NFO
|
38 | -30 | 38 |
| 17 |
Everton
EVE
|
38 | -23 | 36 |
| 18 |
Leicester
LEI
|
38 | -17 | 34 |
| 19 |
Leeds
LEE
|
38 | -30 | 31 |
| 20 |
Southampton
SOU
|
38 | -37 | 25 |