Arsenal winger Bukayo Saka has praised Manchester City for their consistency over the past five years.

The Cityzens have almost always come out on top in the title race since Pep Guardiola’s appointment in 2016, finishing top in five of the last six seasons, and Saka says their title rivals have set the standard that others need to match:

“You can see it in two ways. You can either view it as frustrating or as a beautiful challenge. Everybody knows [City] are one of the best teams in the world, they have been on the top for the past five years, challenging for everything.”

“So, for ourselves to be up there competing with them is good. We are pushing them the whole way and let’s see what happens. But we’re not getting frustrated, we see it as a challenge that we want to fight until the end. They have set a standard and it’s up to the rest of us to try to be better than them.”

It’s a mature assessment from Saka

The England international certainly has an old head on young shoulders. There are no brash claims about beating City to the title. As he says, he is simply enjoying the “beautiful challenge”.

That level-headedness has served him well so far in his career but, whether his Arsenal teammates can show the same composure in the run-in, we shall have to wait and see.

City can assert pressure on Arsenal

For the first time in a while, Guardiola’s men won’t be playing catch-up on their title rivals this weekend, as they play before the Gunners.

A victory over Fulham at Craven Cottage on Saturday would put them top of the table, at least temporarily. Saka’s team, meanwhile, face a difficult trip to Old Trafford on Sunday when they take on Manchester United.