Pep Guardiola makes blunt Liverpool admission after Man City close gap on leaders
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola named Liverpool as he provided his latest assessment of the Premier League title race
After his team’s 2-0 win over Sheffield United on Saturday, Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola had one thing to say about the Premier League title race – “Liverpool are better.”
Catching up with their rivals to play their 19th match of the season, City overcame 19th-placed Sheffield United with relative ease. It provided a better a better picture of the Premier League standings – albeit briefly – as it meant all of the top four have now reached the halfway stage of the campaign.
Liverpool sit top of the mountain with 42 points in 19 fixtures. Aston Villa have now equalled that tally as they moved up to second with a last-gasp 3-2 win over Burnley at the same time City beat Sheffield United, although that was their 20th game of the season.
City and Arsenal then follow up on 40 points after 19 matches played, Guardiola’s men boasting a superior goal difference to take third for now.
This may doubt change again come Monday night as Arsenal face Fulham on Sunday before the Reds host Newcastle United on New Years’ Day.
The reason the matches played are askew comes down to the fact City were away competing in the Club World Cup earlier this month, though asked to assess the title race as best he can, City’s boss had a blunt reply. “[It is] so tight – we’re not top of the league, Liverpool are better,” Guardiola told Match of the Day.
It remains his hope, though, that his squad can replicate heroics of previous years to storm to the title in strong fashion. “We’ve had injuries and some problems, we won the titles, important ones, our level is really good I would say and we are there,” Guardiola added. “Now rest, we all need it. January is less intense than November and December so we prepare for what’s next.”
At one stage last season Arsenal, whose efforts this time around remained unmentioned by Guardiola here, held an eight-point advantage over City in April, before their late resurgence. Liverpool experienced a similar fate in 2018/19 when they were seven points ahead at the start of January.
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Richard Keys slammed Erik ten Hag as ‘deluded’ for claiming his side could have beaten Arsenal and Liverpool ahead of their defeat against Nottingham Forest.
The feel-good factor of their Boxing Day comeback win against Aston Villa evaporated on the banks of the Trent on Saturday, as Manchester United succumbed to a dismal 2-1 defeat.
Nicolas Dominguez and Morgan Gibbs-White‘s second half goals sealed Forest’s first Premier League win over United 29 years, with Marcus Rashford’s equaliser 12 minutes from time proving only a temporary reprieve for the visitors.
The defeat at the City Ground was United’s ninth in 20 Premier League games this season and their 14th in all competitions this season.
After coming back from two goals down to beat Villa on Tuesday night, ten Hag’s men were back at their worst against Forest. Sloppy in possession and too casual without the ball, United offered next to nothing until they were left chasing the game following Forest’s second.
Keys (left) and Andy Gray (right) insisted ten Hag’s claims his side could competed with the best teams in the league was ‘nonsense’
It was a brutal wake-up call for the Dutchman, who in the lead up to the game had suggested his side could have beaten Arsenal and Liverpool away from home this season.
And Keys, who has been one of ten Hag’s biggest critics this season, didn’t mince his words on Saturday night.
‘So having said pre-match that United should’ve/could’ve beaten Arsenal, Liverpool & Villa – which clearly was nonsense – what about Forest Erik? The man is deluded,’ he posted on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.
Keys’ long-time sidekick Andy Gray struck a similar tone as he spoke to his co-host on beIN Sport ahead of the match against Forest.
‘I don’t know what he [ten Hag] is thinking,’ the former Everton striker said.
‘I don’t know what he thinks it’s going to happen.’
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