PEP GUARDIOLA is facing a pain in the grass as Mikel Arteta backed Fulham’s kite-flyers to bring down Manchester City’s title charge.
City boss Guardiola fears the turf on the Craven Cottage pitch will be LONG and DRY for Saturday lunchtime’s must-win clash, so he has had his stars preparing on a similar surface at the Etihad campus.
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Victory will launch his Treble winners two points clear of Arteta’s Arsenal at the top of the Prem.
But Guardiola admitted: “I don’t know about the grass because last season it was so, so high and dry.
“It’s like playing tennis at Wimbledon or Roland Garros – completely different, just ask a tennis player about the speed of the ball. It’s the same in football.”
The Premier League guidelines state grass should be less than 30mm long but Guardiola likes it as low as 21mm.
He added: “We did part of our training session with dry, high grass. It’s a massive difference. We have to feel it to know what to do.”
The Spaniard accused Nottingham Forest of using the same pitch tactics to slow down his side.
Guardiola said: “There have been a few games like it, not many because in England for ten months it’s winter, it’s raining.
“A 12.30pm kick-off is also different to 8pm, the forecast is sunny.”
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Gunners’ supporters feared Fulham were already on the beach after video emerged of Marco Silva’s stars flying KITES in training.
But Arsenal chief Arteta said: “The power of team bonding -sometimes you get amazing results. I’m positive it’s what’s going to happen to Fulham.”
The Londoners need a slip-up from City to stand a chance of lifting a first title since 2004.
Arteta added: “My brain tells me when talking to the players that we are lifting the Premier League.
“I want to follow my brain and my gut. This is the way I want everybody to think.
“Hopefully we can achieve it.”
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