Deadspin | Maple Leafs, Panthers play out the string with youngsters Sep 21st, 2025; Ottawa, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Maple Leafs goalie Artur Akhtyamov (70) loses sight of the puck following a shot by Ottawa Senators center Ridly Greig (71) in the third period at the Canadian Tire Centre. Mandatory Credit: Marc DesRosiers-IMAGN Images The Toronto Maple Leafs will host the Florida Panthers in something of an anticlimactic Saturday night bout. The reigning Stanley Cup champion Panthers (37-38-4, 78 points) and their 2025 Eastern Conference semifinal victims find themselves at the bottom of the Atlantic Division with three games remaining. The Maple Leafs (32-33-14, 78 points), who will miss their first postseason since 2016, continued their downward spiral on Thursday night with an ugly 5-3 loss to the New York Islanders. Rookie netminder Artur Akhtyamov faced 44 shots in his first NHL start. “We had 60 shot attempts or so tonight. Fifteen of them hit the net,” Maple Leafs coach Craig Berube said after his team’s fourth consecutive loss. “That’s really a lot of the story for me.” The silver lining to Toronto’s late-season turmoil is the potential to rescue its first-round pick. The Leafs dealt it to the Boston Bruins in March 2025 as part of the trade to acquire defenseman Brandon Carlo. If they finish in the league’s bottom five, though, the Maple Leafs retain the pick and Boston must wait for either their 2027 or 2028 first-round selection depending on their fortunes next season. Five NHL teams enter Saturday’s action with fewer than 78 points, but the bottom five remains realistic for Toronto as the Seattle Kraken are fifth-worst with 77 points and one additional game to play. It may well be someone from the Florida Panthers’ front office tasked with retooling the Maple Leafs this offseason, regardless of where that draft pick lands. Panthers assistant general manager Sunny Mehta has emerged as the betting favorite to become Toronto’s next general manager after the recent firing of Brad Treliving. A slew of injuries has left the Leafs’ lineup decorated with new faces and elevated role players. Forward Luke Haymes made his NHL debut against the Islanders and recorded his first point. Rookie Easton Cowan, who tied the game in the second period, was fourth among Toronto forwards with 18:54 of ice time. “I like to say ‘work before skill’ a lot of the time. I think (Cowan) has kind of grabbed that side of things,” said Berube, who did not provide an update on injuries to goaltender Anthony Stolarz, forward Dakota Joshua or Carlo. “Easton works and skates. He gets rewarded.” Player-for-player, though, the Panthers are the substantially more depleted team. Defenseman Seth Jones joined their sprawling list of injury absences after breaking his foot in their Tuesday night loss to Montreal. That list includes Aleksander Barkov, Aaron Ekblad, Brad Marchand, Sam Reinhart and Niko Mikkola. Matthew Tkachuk missed the last two games to be with his wife for the birth of his first child. Given the circumstances, coach Paul Maurice was empathetic after the Panthers’ 5-1 loss to the Ottawa Senators on Thursday. He had particularly high praise for defensemen Marek Alscher and Ludvig Jansson after their NHL debuts. “Really, really happy with his game,” Maurice said of Alscher, who logged nearly 20 minutes of ice time. “That’s an awful lot to ask a guy and then to go in with another guy who spent most of his time in the American (Hockey) League.” Berube and Maurice both indicated they would continue to experiment on Saturday. Toronto has won two of the teams’ three meetings this season. The Panthers hope to snap their own four-game losing streak. They have allowed 22 goals over the difficult stretch. –Field Level Media #Deadspin #Maple #Leafs #Panthers #play #string #youngsters

Deadspin | Maple Leafs, Panthers play out the string with youngsters
Sep 21st, 2025; Ottawa, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Maple Leafs goalie Artur Akhtyamov (70) loses sight of the puck following a shot by Ottawa Senators center Ridly Greig (71) in the third period at the Canadian Tire Centre. Mandatory Credit: Marc DesRosiers-IMAGN Images

The Toronto Maple Leafs will host the Florida Panthers in something of an anticlimactic Saturday night bout.

The reigning Stanley Cup champion Panthers (37-38-4, 78 points) and their 2025 Eastern Conference semifinal victims find themselves at the bottom of the Atlantic Division with three games remaining.

The Maple Leafs (32-33-14, 78 points), who will miss their first postseason since 2016, continued their downward spiral on Thursday night with an ugly 5-3 loss to the New York Islanders. Rookie netminder Artur Akhtyamov faced 44 shots in his first NHL start.

“We had 60 shot attempts or so tonight. Fifteen of them hit the net,” Maple Leafs coach Craig Berube said after his team’s fourth consecutive loss. “That’s really a lot of the story for me.”

The silver lining to Toronto’s late-season turmoil is the potential to rescue its first-round pick. The Leafs dealt it to the Boston Bruins in March 2025 as part of the trade to acquire defenseman Brandon Carlo. If they finish in the league’s bottom five, though, the Maple Leafs retain the pick and Boston must wait for either their 2027 or 2028 first-round selection depending on their fortunes next season.

Five NHL teams enter Saturday’s action with fewer than 78 points, but the bottom five remains realistic for Toronto as the Seattle Kraken are fifth-worst with 77 points and one additional game to play.

It may well be someone from the Florida Panthers’ front office tasked with retooling the Maple Leafs this offseason, regardless of where that draft pick lands. Panthers assistant general manager Sunny Mehta has emerged as the betting favorite to become Toronto’s next general manager after the recent firing of Brad Treliving.

A slew of injuries has left the Leafs’ lineup decorated with new faces and elevated role players. Forward Luke Haymes made his NHL debut against the Islanders and recorded his first point. Rookie Easton Cowan, who tied the game in the second period, was fourth among Toronto forwards with 18:54 of ice time.

“I like to say ‘work before skill’ a lot of the time. I think (Cowan) has kind of grabbed that side of things,” said Berube, who did not provide an update on injuries to goaltender Anthony Stolarz, forward Dakota Joshua or Carlo. “Easton works and skates. He gets rewarded.”

Player-for-player, though, the Panthers are the substantially more depleted team. Defenseman Seth Jones joined their sprawling list of injury absences after breaking his foot in their Tuesday night loss to Montreal. That list includes Aleksander Barkov, Aaron Ekblad, Brad Marchand, Sam Reinhart and Niko Mikkola. Matthew Tkachuk missed the last two games to be with his wife for the birth of his first child.

Given the circumstances, coach Paul Maurice was empathetic after the Panthers’ 5-1 loss to the Ottawa Senators on Thursday. He had particularly high praise for defensemen Marek Alscher and Ludvig Jansson after their NHL debuts.

“Really, really happy with his game,” Maurice said of Alscher, who logged nearly 20 minutes of ice time. “That’s an awful lot to ask a guy and then to go in with another guy who spent most of his time in the American (Hockey) League.”

Berube and Maurice both indicated they would continue to experiment on Saturday.

Toronto has won two of the teams’ three meetings this season. The Panthers hope to snap their own four-game losing streak. They have allowed 22 goals over the difficult stretch.

–Field Level Media

#Deadspin #Maple #Leafs #Panthers #play #string #youngsters

Sports news April 11, 2026

Sep 21st, 2025; Ottawa, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Maple Leafs goalie Artur Akhtyamov (70) loses sight of the puck following a shot by Ottawa Senators center Ridly Greig (71) in the third period at the Canadian Tire Centre. Mandatory Credit: Marc DesRosiers-IMAGN Images

The Toronto Maple Leafs will host the Florida Panthers in something of an anticlimactic Saturday night bout.

The reigning Stanley Cup champion Panthers (37-38-4, 78 points) and their 2025 Eastern Conference semifinal victims find themselves at the bottom of the Atlantic Division with three games remaining.

The Maple Leafs (32-33-14, 78 points), who will miss their first postseason since 2016, continued their downward spiral on Thursday night with an ugly 5-3 loss to the New York Islanders. Rookie netminder Artur Akhtyamov faced 44 shots in his first NHL start.

“We had 60 shot attempts or so tonight. Fifteen of them hit the net,” Maple Leafs coach Craig Berube said after his team’s fourth consecutive loss. “That’s really a lot of the story for me.”

The silver lining to Toronto’s late-season turmoil is the potential to rescue its first-round pick. The Leafs dealt it to the Boston Bruins in March 2025 as part of the trade to acquire defenseman Brandon Carlo. If they finish in the league’s bottom five, though, the Maple Leafs retain the pick and Boston must wait for either their 2027 or 2028 first-round selection depending on their fortunes next season.

Five NHL teams enter Saturday’s action with fewer than 78 points, but the bottom five remains realistic for Toronto as the Seattle Kraken are fifth-worst with 77 points and one additional game to play.

It may well be someone from the Florida Panthers’ front office tasked with retooling the Maple Leafs this offseason, regardless of where that draft pick lands. Panthers assistant general manager Sunny Mehta has emerged as the betting favorite to become Toronto’s next general manager after the recent firing of Brad Treliving.

A slew of injuries has left the Leafs’ lineup decorated with new faces and elevated role players. Forward Luke Haymes made his NHL debut against the Islanders and recorded his first point. Rookie Easton Cowan, who tied the game in the second period, was fourth among Toronto forwards with 18:54 of ice time.

“I like to say ‘work before skill’ a lot of the time. I think (Cowan) has kind of grabbed that side of things,” said Berube, who did not provide an update on injuries to goaltender Anthony Stolarz, forward Dakota Joshua or Carlo. “Easton works and skates. He gets rewarded.”

Player-for-player, though, the Panthers are the substantially more depleted team. Defenseman Seth Jones joined their sprawling list of injury absences after breaking his foot in their Tuesday night loss to Montreal. That list includes Aleksander Barkov, Aaron Ekblad, Brad Marchand, Sam Reinhart and Niko Mikkola. Matthew Tkachuk missed the last two games to be with his wife for the birth of his first child.

Given the circumstances, coach Paul Maurice was empathetic after the Panthers’ 5-1 loss to the Ottawa Senators on Thursday. He had particularly high praise for defensemen Marek Alscher and Ludvig Jansson after their NHL debuts.

“Really, really happy with his game,” Maurice said of Alscher, who logged nearly 20 minutes of ice time. “That’s an awful lot to ask a guy and then to go in with another guy who spent most of his time in the American (Hockey) League.”

Berube and Maurice both indicated they would continue to experiment on Saturday.

Toronto has won two of the teams’ three meetings this season. The Panthers hope to snap their own four-game losing streak. They have allowed 22 goals over the difficult stretch.

–Field Level Media

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#Deadspin #Maple #Leafs #Panthers #play #string #youngsters

Indore News: इंदौर में शुरू हुआ अंतरराष्ट्रीय एनेस्थीसिया सम्मेलन, दुनिया भर के विशेषज्ञ डॉक्टर आए

Deadspin | Canadiens ready for home chance to eliminate Lightning in tight series Apr 29, 2026; Tampa, Florida, USA; Montreal Canadiens goaltender Jakub Dobes (75) makes a save against the Tampa Bay Lightning in the third period during game five of the first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Benchmark International Arena. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images The Montreal Canadiens are aware of the opportunity before them as they prepare to host the Tampa Bay Lightning for Game 6 of their Stanley Cup playoff series on Friday. Thanks to a 3-2 victory Wednesday night in Tampa for a 3-2 edge in the Eastern Conference first-round meeting, the young Canadiens have the opportunity to knock out the Lightning in the best-of-seven series. “It’s going to be loud and going to be fun,” defenseman Kaiden Guhle said Thursday. “We’ll use the crowd’s energy to our advantage, but we’ve got to stay even-keeled. … Just gotta keep playing our game, not get nervous, not do too much.” Montreal finished tied in points (106) with Tampa Bay during the regular season, placing behind due to the tiebreaker. The Canadiens were considered an underdog in this series, however, because of the vast amount of playoff experience on the Lightning’s roster. Instead of being overwhelmed, the Canadiens have shown plenty of fortitude. “It was such a great opportunity to go against a team who probably set the standard the last 10 years,” Montreal coach Martin St. Louis said. “We haven’t done anything yet, but it’s a challenge and still is a challenge. This is a veteran, talented group that is not going to go away easy, wasn’t going to give you anything for free.” A huge key in Montreal’s edge has been goaltender Jakub Dobes, who has stood toe-to-toe against Tampa’s surefire hall-of-famer Andrei Vasilevskiy. Dobes stopped 38 shots in Wednesday’s win, 12 during the final three minutes while the Lightning pushed for the equalizer with an extra attacker. “He’s a confident guy. He likes his big moments and wants his big moments” Guhle said. “You look at his first game last year, a shutout against the defending Stanley Cup champs. I think he lives for this. I think that’s what makes him so good.” Although they trail the series, the Lightning have not exactly been outclassed. Through the five games, the Canadiens have scored a total of one more goal (14-13) and every result has been decided by a single tally. Hurting Tampa Bay’s cause is the scoring struggles of stars Nikita Kucherov and Brayden Point, who each have tallied only once, and the middling goaltending from Vasilevskiy and his .880 save percentage. From a team perspective, one statistic stands out: Montreal has opened the scoring in four of the five games. “Our starts, we’ve had a tough time, especially at the end of the regular season,” said Lightning coach Jon Cooper, whose squad won the lone game it scored first. “It’s not the recipe to have to keep chasing the game.” With that in mind, the Lightning can look to rely on their experience to help extend the series and bring it back home for a deciding seventh game. A team that has accomplished as much as the Lightning over the last decade has overcome plenty of adversity along the way. “This is nine straight years (of) making the playoffs,” Cooper said. “If you had a team that didn’t believe, that streak wouldn’t be going on right now.” And now is the opportunity for a roster filled with players who have won multiple Stanley Cup titles (back to back in 2020 and 2021) to show its mettle. Otherwise, it will be a fourth consecutive year of being eliminated in the first round of the playoffs. “I think everyone personally, when Game 6 is over, will learn a lot about themselves,” said Tampa Bay forward Brandon Hagel, who has scored six of his club’s 13 goals in the series. “This team will learn a lot about themselves. There’s not much more to say. You’ve just got to kind of leave it up to us.” –Field Level Media #Deadspin #Canadiens #ready #home #chance #eliminate #Lightning #tight #series

#Deadspin #Canadiens #ready #home #chance #eliminate #Lightning #tight #series">

mwasimuddin125 0

Apr 29, 2026; Tampa, Florida, USA; Montreal Canadiens goaltender Jakub Dobes (75) makes a save against the Tampa Bay Lightning in the third period during game five of the first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Benchmark International Arena. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

The Montreal Canadiens are aware of the opportunity before them as they prepare to host the Tampa Bay Lightning for Game 6 of their Stanley Cup playoff series on Friday.

Thanks to a 3-2 victory Wednesday night in Tampa for a 3-2 edge in the Eastern Conference first-round meeting, the young Canadiens have the opportunity to knock out the Lightning in the best-of-seven series.

“It’s going to be loud and going to be fun,” defenseman Kaiden Guhle said Thursday. “We’ll use the crowd’s energy to our advantage, but we’ve got to stay even-keeled. … Just gotta keep playing our game, not get nervous, not do too much.”

Montreal finished tied in points (106) with Tampa Bay during the regular season, placing behind due to the tiebreaker. The Canadiens were considered an underdog in this series, however, because of the vast amount of playoff experience on the Lightning’s roster.

Instead of being overwhelmed, the Canadiens have shown plenty of fortitude.

“It was such a great opportunity to go against a team who probably set the standard the last 10 years,” Montreal coach Martin St. Louis said. “We haven’t done anything yet, but it’s a challenge and still is a challenge. This is a veteran, talented group that is not going to go away easy, wasn’t going to give you anything for free.”

A huge key in Montreal’s edge has been goaltender Jakub Dobes, who has stood toe-to-toe against Tampa’s surefire hall-of-famer Andrei Vasilevskiy. Dobes stopped 38 shots in Wednesday’s win, 12 during the final three minutes while the Lightning pushed for the equalizer with an extra attacker.

“He’s a confident guy. He likes his big moments and wants his big moments” Guhle said. “You look at his first game last year, a shutout against the defending Stanley Cup champs. I think he lives for this. I think that’s what makes him so good.”

Although they trail the series, the Lightning have not exactly been outclassed. Through the five games, the Canadiens have scored a total of one more goal (14-13) and every result has been decided by a single tally.

Hurting Tampa Bay’s cause is the scoring struggles of stars Nikita Kucherov and Brayden Point, who each have tallied only once, and the middling goaltending from Vasilevskiy and his .880 save percentage.

From a team perspective, one statistic stands out: Montreal has opened the scoring in four of the five games.

“Our starts, we’ve had a tough time, especially at the end of the regular season,” said Lightning coach Jon Cooper, whose squad won the lone game it scored first. “It’s not the recipe to have to keep chasing the game.”

With that in mind, the Lightning can look to rely on their experience to help extend the series and bring it back home for a deciding seventh game. A team that has accomplished as much as the Lightning over the last decade has overcome plenty of adversity along the way.

“This is nine straight years (of) making the playoffs,” Cooper said. “If you had a team that didn’t believe, that streak wouldn’t be going on right now.”

And now is the opportunity for a roster filled with players who have won multiple Stanley Cup titles (back to back in 2020 and 2021) to show its mettle. Otherwise, it will be a fourth consecutive year of being eliminated in the first round of the playoffs.

“I think everyone personally, when Game 6 is over, will learn a lot about themselves,” said Tampa Bay forward Brandon Hagel, who has scored six of his club’s 13 goals in the series. “This team will learn a lot about themselves. There’s not much more to say. You’ve just got to kind of leave it up to us.”

–Field Level Media

#Deadspin #Canadiens #ready #home #chance #eliminate #Lightning #tight #series">Deadspin | Canadiens ready for home chance to eliminate Lightning in tight series

Apr 29, 2026; Tampa, Florida, USA; Montreal Canadiens goaltender Jakub Dobes (75) makes a save against the Tampa Bay Lightning in the third period during game five of the first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Benchmark International Arena. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

The Montreal Canadiens are aware of the opportunity before them as they prepare to host the Tampa Bay Lightning for Game 6 of their Stanley Cup playoff series on Friday.

Thanks to a 3-2 victory Wednesday night in Tampa for a 3-2 edge in the Eastern Conference first-round meeting, the young Canadiens have the opportunity to knock out the Lightning in the best-of-seven series.

“It’s going to be loud and going to be fun,” defenseman Kaiden Guhle said Thursday. “We’ll use the crowd’s energy to our advantage, but we’ve got to stay even-keeled. … Just gotta keep playing our game, not get nervous, not do too much.”

Montreal finished tied in points (106) with Tampa Bay during the regular season, placing behind due to the tiebreaker. The Canadiens were considered an underdog in this series, however, because of the vast amount of playoff experience on the Lightning’s roster.

Instead of being overwhelmed, the Canadiens have shown plenty of fortitude.

“It was such a great opportunity to go against a team who probably set the standard the last 10 years,” Montreal coach Martin St. Louis said. “We haven’t done anything yet, but it’s a challenge and still is a challenge. This is a veteran, talented group that is not going to go away easy, wasn’t going to give you anything for free.”

A huge key in Montreal’s edge has been goaltender Jakub Dobes, who has stood toe-to-toe against Tampa’s surefire hall-of-famer Andrei Vasilevskiy. Dobes stopped 38 shots in Wednesday’s win, 12 during the final three minutes while the Lightning pushed for the equalizer with an extra attacker.

“He’s a confident guy. He likes his big moments and wants his big moments” Guhle said. “You look at his first game last year, a shutout against the defending Stanley Cup champs. I think he lives for this. I think that’s what makes him so good.”

Although they trail the series, the Lightning have not exactly been outclassed. Through the five games, the Canadiens have scored a total of one more goal (14-13) and every result has been decided by a single tally.

Hurting Tampa Bay’s cause is the scoring struggles of stars Nikita Kucherov and Brayden Point, who each have tallied only once, and the middling goaltending from Vasilevskiy and his .880 save percentage.

From a team perspective, one statistic stands out: Montreal has opened the scoring in four of the five games.

“Our starts, we’ve had a tough time, especially at the end of the regular season,” said Lightning coach Jon Cooper, whose squad won the lone game it scored first. “It’s not the recipe to have to keep chasing the game.”

With that in mind, the Lightning can look to rely on their experience to help extend the series and bring it back home for a deciding seventh game. A team that has accomplished as much as the Lightning over the last decade has overcome plenty of adversity along the way.

“This is nine straight years (of) making the playoffs,” Cooper said. “If you had a team that didn’t believe, that streak wouldn’t be going on right now.”

And now is the opportunity for a roster filled with players who have won multiple Stanley Cup titles (back to back in 2020 and 2021) to show its mettle. Otherwise, it will be a fourth consecutive year of being eliminated in the first round of the playoffs.

“I think everyone personally, when Game 6 is over, will learn a lot about themselves,” said Tampa Bay forward Brandon Hagel, who has scored six of his club’s 13 goals in the series. “This team will learn a lot about themselves. There’s not much more to say. You’ve just got to kind of leave it up to us.”

–Field Level Media

#Deadspin #Canadiens #ready #home #chance #eliminate #Lightning #tight #series

Pep Guardiola insisted Manchester City cannot use its gruelling schedule as an excuse if it fails to win the Premier League title.

Guardiola’s second-placed side is three points behind leader Arsenal heading into the final weeks of the season.

City’s title bid could be hampered by a fixture pile-up after its matches against Crystal Palace and Bournemouth were given new dates on either side of the FA Cup final against Chelsea on May 16.

Those matches had to be moved because of City’s progress in both domestic cups, but the new schedule means it will play three times in seven days from May 13 to 19.

The League Cup winner’s title charge concludes against Aston Villa on May 24.

City was reportedly unhappy when the fixtures were confirmed, particularly because it felt the Palace game, originally slated for March, could have been rearranged earlier.

But Guardiola accepted the situation as an inevitable consequence of being successful in English football.

“It is what it is. When we won the treble and quadruple we always had this kind of calendar,” Guardiola told reporters on Friday.

“Of course it could be better but I’ve never expected help. We’ll do that and go game by game.

“If you don’t like it, go and train in France or Portugal. I like being here, and I’ve said many times, when I was at Barcelona and saw managers here complain about the schedule, it has always been like this.”

ALSO READ: Salah ‘deserves big send-off’, says Liverpool boss Slot

City is chasing the seventh Premier League title of the Guardiola era as it seeks to take advantage of Arsenal’s latest stumble in the title race.

The Gunners blew substantial leads that allowed City to lift the trophy in 2023 and 2024.

By the time City travels to Everton on Monday, it will be six points behind Arsenal if Mikel Arteta’s side beats Fulham at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday.

But the Everton game will be the first of City’s two games in hand in a race so tight it could be decided by goal difference or goals scored.

“It’s normal, it’s the calendar. Sometimes you play first, sometimes behind,” Guardiola said.

“It is what it is and nothing changes at this stage — you know exactly what you have to do.”

Guardiola claimed he did not even know when Arsenal was playing when asked if he would watch its game against Fulham.

“What time do they play? It’s after a training session, so maybe I will watch it,” the 55-year-old Spaniard said.

Published on May 01, 2026

#Manchester #City #blame #gruelling #schedule #title #bid #falls #short #Guardiola">

Manchester City cannot blame gruelling schedule if title bid falls short, says Guardiola Pep Guardiola insisted Manchester City cannot use its gruelling schedule as an excuse if it fails to win the Premier League title.Guardiola’s second-placed side is three points behind leader Arsenal heading into the final weeks of the season.City’s title bid could be hampered by a fixture pile-up after its matches against Crystal Palace and Bournemouth were given new dates on either side of the FA Cup final against Chelsea on May 16.Those matches had to be moved because of City’s progress in both domestic cups, but the new schedule means it will play three times in seven days from May 13 to 19.The League Cup winner’s title charge concludes against Aston Villa on May 24.City was reportedly unhappy when the fixtures were confirmed, particularly because it felt the Palace game, originally slated for March, could have been rearranged earlier.But Guardiola accepted the situation as an inevitable consequence of being successful in English football.“It is what it is. When we won the treble and quadruple we always had this kind of calendar,” Guardiola told reporters on Friday.“Of course it could be better but I’ve never expected help. We’ll do that and go game by game.“If you don’t like it, go and train in France or Portugal. I like being here, and I’ve said many times, when I was at Barcelona and saw managers here complain about the schedule, it has always been like this.”ALSO READ: Salah ‘deserves big send-off’, says Liverpool boss SlotCity is chasing the seventh Premier League title of the Guardiola era as it seeks to take advantage of Arsenal’s latest stumble in the title race.The Gunners blew substantial leads that allowed City to lift the trophy in 2023 and 2024.By the time City travels to Everton on Monday, it will be six points behind Arsenal if Mikel Arteta’s side beats Fulham at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday.But the Everton game will be the first of City’s two games in hand in a race so tight it could be decided by goal difference or goals scored.“It’s normal, it’s the calendar. Sometimes you play first, sometimes behind,” Guardiola said.“It is what it is and nothing changes at this stage — you know exactly what you have to do.”Guardiola claimed he did not even know when Arsenal was playing when asked if he would watch its game against Fulham.“What time do they play? It’s after a training session, so maybe I will watch it,” the 55-year-old Spaniard said.Published on May 01, 2026 #Manchester #City #blame #gruelling #schedule #title #bid #falls #short #Guardiola

mwasimuddin125 0

Pep Guardiola insisted Manchester City cannot use its gruelling schedule as an excuse if it fails to win the Premier League title.
Guardiola’s second-placed side is three points behind leader Arsenal heading into the final weeks of the season.
City’s title bid could be hampered by a fixture pile-up after its matches against Crystal Palace and Bournemouth were given new dates on either side of the FA Cup final against Chelsea on May 16.
Those matches had to be moved because of City’s progress in both domestic cups, but the new schedule means it will play three times in seven days from May 13 to 19.
The League Cup winner’s title charge concludes against Aston Villa on May 24.
City was reportedly unhappy when the fixtures were confirmed, particularly because it felt the Palace game, originally slated for March, could have been rearranged earlier.
But Guardiola accepted the situation as an inevitable consequence of being successful in English football.
“It is what it is. When we won the treble and quadruple we always had this kind of calendar,” Guardiola told reporters on Friday.
“Of course it could be better but I’ve never expected help. We’ll do that and go game by game.
“If you don’t like it, go and train in France or Portugal. I like being here, and I’ve said many times, when I was at Barcelona and saw managers here complain about the schedule, it has always been like this.”
ALSO READ: Salah ‘deserves big send-off’, says Liverpool boss Slot
City is chasing the seventh Premier League title of the Guardiola era as it seeks to take advantage of Arsenal’s latest stumble in the title race.
The Gunners blew substantial leads that allowed City to lift the trophy in 2023 and 2024.
By the time City travels to Everton on Monday, it will be six points behind Arsenal if Mikel Arteta’s side beats Fulham at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday.
But the Everton game will be the first of City’s two games in hand in a race so tight it could be decided by goal difference or goals scored.
“It’s normal, it’s the calendar. Sometimes you play first, sometimes behind,” Guardiola said.
“It is what it is and nothing changes at this stage — you know exactly what you have to do.”
Guardiola claimed he did not even know when Arsenal was playing when asked if he would watch its game against Fulham.
“What time do they play? It’s after a training session, so maybe I will watch it,” the 55-year-old Spaniard said.
Published on May 01, 2026

#Manchester #City #blame #gruelling #schedule #title #bid #falls #short #Guardiola">Manchester City cannot blame gruelling schedule if title bid falls short, says Guardiola