Get the latest news from the city team, movement stories, adjustment updates, and research straight to your inbox, FREE
We have more newsletters
Get the latest news from the city team, movement stories, adjustment updates, and research straight to your inbox, FREE
We have newsletters
Pep Guardiola insists Liverpool are more than Manchester City as they have more problems than the Blues in the middle of the season.
City were in fifth place and Arsenal led by six points at Christmas, but a productive week saw them make up for those problems with two wins combined with back-to-back defeats for the Gunners. Liverpool and Aston Villa took three points at Christmas to reach 2024 on 42 points, but Liverpool can extend that lead on New Year’s Day when they take on Newcastle.
Even then, Liverpool will have played one more game than City, as will Villa and Arsenal, leaving Guardiola’s side with no chance of success at the start of the new year and a much less difficult January. After facing championship contender Huddersfield next weekend in the FA Cup. , there is a break in an out-of-form Newcastle, followed by a winter break, an imaginable draw in the fourth round of the FA Cup and a home clash against Burnley.
READ ALSO: ‘He felt guilty’ – Pep Guardiola identifies Phil Foden as Manchester City’s new ten
ALSO READ: Pep Guardiola tells Manchester City fans when Kevin De Bruyne and Jeremy Doku will return
Guardiola believes his side are well positioned to continue their progress over Christmas and take advantage of January’s less difficult workload, even if Liverpool have the edge of the name race of late.
Assessing City’s chances at the halfway point, Guardiola said: “We’re not the most sensible in the league, Liverpool are better. We’ve had injuries and some problems, we’ve won titles, vital titles, our point is smart. “We say and there we are. Now it’s resting, we all want it, January is less intense than November and December, so we’re preparing for what’s coming.
In his post-match press conference on Saturday following the win over Sheffield United, Guardiola admitted he believes City could have more problems than their current tally of 40, pointing to defeats to Wolves and Aston Villa as games in which they finished second.
When the prospect of another mid-season winning run was put to him, the manager replied: “We made in the past a lot of winning streaks but never when we were there were we thinking about how many games we are going to win. We had rivals like Liverpool or last season Arsenal that we felt that if we lose a game we are not going to win the Premier League so they demanded us to our highest level and we pushed them to the highest level as well.
“I think at the start of the season, to qualify for the Champions League, win the three trophies – and we won just two because we lost the Community Shield against Arsenal – and in the Premier League being there. I had the feeling we could have more points, especially for the three games at home; Liverpool, Tottenham, Crystal Palace. We performed really well but we didn’t get what we maybe deserved but it is football, it is fine. We are going to lose points, so are the others, so try to lose as few as possible.”