Pep Guardiola wants Manchester City to emulate the great Tiger Woods by never giving up in their title tussle with Arsenal.
City beat the Gunners 3-1 in a thrilling encounter at Emirates Stadium on Wednesday to move top of the Premier League.
The defending champions have played a game more than Arsenal and are only top on goal difference, however, with Guardiola convinced his team have had some good fortune.
Yet he pointed to golf legend and 15-time major champion Woods – who returned to the PGA Tour this week for the first time since suffering serious leg injuries in a car crash in 2021 – as a source of inspiration.
"Right now, we could be 10 or 12 points behind. We are a bit lucky," he told reporters ahead of Saturday's trip to Nottingham Forest.
"If [Arsenal] won at Everton when they played to win, we lost at Spurs, we lost to Arsenal then we are 10 points behind and the game is over.
"Now we could be 10-12 points behind even [with Arsenal having played] one game less. We're top of the league after two nights when they have been top all season.
"You never, ever, ever can give up. The biggest athletes never do. This weekend is the best weekend because Tiger is back. He's playing at the Genesis Invitational.
"We have to learn from the greatest and he never gives up. He is two over, one over, then finishes the last round with birdie, birdie, birdie. Never give up, continue until the end."
Guardiola said in the wake of City's win in north London that his first-half tactics had been "horrible".
Bernardo Silva was deployed as a left-back until Manuel Akanji replaced Riyad Mahrez early in the second half, enabling the Portugal international to switch to the right wing.
City, who took the lead through Kevin De Bruyne but were pegged back by Bukayo Saka's penalty, went on to clinch the points through Jack Grealish and Erling Haaland.
"I meant in general how I imagined the game, it didn't work, not because Bernardo played left-back," said Guardiola, explaining his post-match comments.
"If it works I am brave, if it doesn't work I am overthinking. Arrogant. 'What is Pep believing, changing tactics? Why don't you play Kevin De Bruyne all the time? Why don't you play the other ones?'
"Because Kevin De Bruyne cannot play all the games. He needs to be fresh here [in the head]. He has to get the message, he can do better.
"I cannot go to sleep or wake up in the morning, have something inside of me visualising what the opponent can do and think: 'The normal thing is play the starting XI that people around the world say is the best.'
"In 14 years, starting with the second team Barcelona, I never took a decision like: 'I am going [to show off].'"
Haaland's neat finish brought up his 26th league goal of the season, though City's use of their star striker had been called into question after the 1-0 loss at Spurs.
Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher went as far as to say Haaland "might have picked the wrong club to actually get the best out of him".
Asked about Carragher's comments, Guardiola said: "I understand it. What can I say – I'm open to all opinions. So [Jamie] will have his argument.
"It's important I have the feeling that [Haaland] feels so happy here. Committed. Not because he already scored 26 goals, but it was a surprise for all of us, a real surprise.
"We didn't know him. We knew his stats, his numbers, his laughs when he played at Dortmund, but we are all of us really surprised at how he is as a boy – because he's a boy."
Guardiola is also hopeful Ilkay Gundogan will sign a new contract at City, with his deal set to expire at the end of the season.
Earps seeking answers before making decision on Man Utd future
Mary Earps will seek answers from Manchester United regarding the club's direction before making a decision on her future, saying she has felt like a "punching bag" this season.
Earps' contract with the Women's FA Cup winners is set to expire in June, and there have been few signs of progress concerning a new deal.
Last year, United rejected a world-record bid for Earps, who starred as England won Euro 2022 and finished as runners-up at the 2023 World Cup.
Arsenal, Paris Saint-Germain and other clubs have been linked with Earps, and she is biding her time after enduring a difficult campaign in which her commitment to United was called into question.
"The honest reality is that conversations are still ongoing," Earps told Sky Sports on Tuesday. "I've been clear I don't want to make an emotional decision.
"The beginning of the season was really tough, I felt really upset about things that were being said about me and things that came out that weren't true.
"I've tried to be professional, keep my head down, work hard, get on with my job and that's been hard. I've been a punching bag at times.
"I know I've given my heart and soul for the whole season. It's a tough situation.
"I've asked the club for some confirmation on what they're trying to achieve and when I have those answers I'll be able to make a decision. It's up to the club."
Man City 'head and shoulders' above all teams in Premier League era, says James
Manchester City's current crop stand "head and shoulders" above all other teams in the Premier League era after winning four straight titles, says the club's former goalkeeper David James.
City became the first team in English top-flight history to win four successive titles on Sunday, a 3-1 win over West Ham ensuring they pipped Arsenal by two points.
Huddersfield Town (1923-1926), Arsenal (1932-1935) and Liverpool (1981-1984) all won the old First Division three times in a row, while Manchester United achieved the feat twice in the Premier League era (1998-2001 and 2006-2009).
Pep Guardiola's men ended the campaign with a nine-match winning streak, while they are now unbeaten in their last 35 matches across all competitions (29 wins, six draws), the longest such run ever recorded by a Premier League team.
They have the chance to make more history on Saturday, as they can clinch unprecedented back-to-back league and FA Cup doubles against Manchester United.
For James, who spent two years with City between 2004 and 2006, Guardiola's champions have cemented their legacy as the Premier League's finest.
"They're up there. The fact they've broken the record means that no one's done better than them over that period," he told Stats Perform.
"From the moment they first won that Premier League title to now, they have been head and shoulders better than anyone else.
"It's thoroughly deserved and one of the funny things that I love is the way they celebrate. You would think after four in a row that it would be, ‘okay, lads, let's get back in and worry about the FA Cup on the weekend'. They celebrate like they haven't got another match!
"This is a group of players and staff who are all with each other, all behind each other, all enjoying all these moments.
"I can't think of a team who's had that much dominance over that period of time. They just keep breaking records, don't they?"
Over the last four seasons, City's total of 359 Premier League points are 49 more than anyone else, while they have averaged 2.4 points per game and won 73.7 per cent of their league matches.
While James does not feel City's class of 2023-24 have been quite as relentless as 2022-23's treble winners, he says they always seemed to be in control in the run-in.
"I think it's interesting when we look at the whole season, because I don't think there's been a spell where City have absolutely smashed teams," James said.
"I've followed a lot of the games this season where they've won but haven't been overly impressive, especially compared to last season.
"But in a way, I could detect from the beginning of the season there was something different about the way Pep was approaching it. I don't think it was all the guts and thunder of last season.
"They always had it under control and it was just like a Mo Farah finish, they put the afterburners on at the end."
Postecoglou confident Tottenham players will enjoy controversial Australia trip
Ange Postecoglou believes his Tottenham players will enjoy the experience of facing Newcastle United in Melbourne, despite the post-season trip attracting fierce criticism from some quarters.
Spurs face Newcastle at Melbourne Cricket Ground on Wednesday, just three days after they rounded off their Premier League season with a 3-0 win at Sheffield United.
The trip has been strongly criticised on player welfare grounds, with former Newcastle striker Alan Shearer describing it as "madness".
Last year, a report from global players' union Fifpro warned fixture congestion was at "dangerous" levels and said more must be done to protect players.
Despite the negativity surrounding the fixture, Postecoglou believes his players will relish walking out at Australia's most iconic sporting venue.
"I said to the lads, 'I know it's a long way but I think you'll enjoy playing at the G'," Postecoglou said at a press conference on Tuesday.
"It's not easy because we played Sheffield on Sunday afternoon and we basically got straight on the plane to come out here.
"So we all lost Monday from our lives, but we're here now and hopefully when the boys walk out tomorrow night and there's 80,000 people at the 'G', the rest of it is irrelevant, and I'm sure they are looking forward to it."
Sunday's win at Bramall Lane ensured Tottenham finished fifth in the Premier League table, securing Europa League qualification for next season.
Postecoglou does not think fixture congestion will hamper them in 2024-25, saying the absence of European football set Spurs back in their first campaign under him.
"That's the reward for finishing strong this year so I think we're looking forward to that," he said.
"It's another challenge for us and we'll be ready for it. I think not having European football this year cost us a bit in terms of our development.
"This club deserves to be in Europe and hopefully we can make an impact next year."
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