Jack Grealish has promised that Manchester City are primed to pounce if Arsenal stutter in the title race.
The Premier League leaders dropped their first points since October 23 when Newcastle held on for a draw earlier this week, with City then beating Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
The gap is down to five points, with City travelling to the Emirates Stadium for a showdown next month, and the defending champions have title experience on their side.
‘We just have to try and catch them and try to win as many games as possible and go on a little winning run,’ Grealish said.
‘I am sure that if we do I am sure we will be ready to pounce upon [them] if they do slip up. We are second at the moment but all we can do is carry on winning games and putting on good performances.
‘Chelsea was massive, honestly. We are chasing Arsenal down and I don’t want to go too much into that, but it is what we know.
‘We have unbelievable players in those forward positions so we know that we are not going to play every single game but we have to be there and ready when called upon.’
Grealish’s introduction in the second half proved instrumental in City leaving the capital with victory as he registered a third assist in three games for Riyad Mahrez’s winner.
The 27-year-old has drawn criticism for a lack of goal contributions since his £100million move from Aston Villa but has crucially retained the trust of his manager, Pep Guardiola.
Guardiola revealed how Grealish’s body language was consistently encouraging, even when not selected, and that he has a vital role to play within the squad as they fight on four fronts ahead of tomorrow’s FA Cup clash against Graham Potter’s Blues.
And the England international keeps that positivity up to embrace the regular jeering by opposing fans, as happened at Chelsea on Thursday night.
Grealish endured similar away at Leeds United over Christmas, applauding all four sides of Elland Road when he was withdrawn.
‘It’s nice isn’t when the fans are giving you stick?’ he said. ‘At the end of the day it’s all banter isn’t it? They give us a lot of stick, so you’ve got to give it back it’s all a laugh isn’t it.
‘I’ve been there when I’ve been on the home team and the home fans are giving one of the away players a bit of stick so it’s all fun and games. I like it.’
SOURCE: dailymail.co.uk
