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.
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.”
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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.
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“I want to follow my brain and my gut. This is the way I want everybody to think.
“Hopefully we can achieve it.”
