'Liverpool are favourites': Man City's Guardiola admits EPL title concerns after Arsenal draw (WATCH)
Pep Guardiola declared Liverpool as the frontrunners for the Premier League title with nine matches remaining, following Manchester City's goalless draw against Arsenal at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday.
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FollowPep Guardiola declared Liverpool as the frontrunners for the Premier League title with nine matches remaining, following Manchester City's goalless draw against Arsenal at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday.
Liverpool secured a comeback victory of 2-1 against Brighton at Anfield earlier in the day, propelling Jürgen Klopp's side two points ahead of Arsenal and three points ahead of the champions. With both Manchester City and Arsenal having only 27 points left to play for, Guardiola was questioned about Liverpool's current position as prime contenders.
“Yes. Always who is first is favourites, second is Arsenal and we are third,” the Man City manager said in a post-match press conference.
He was questioned about any concerns regarding Manchester City potentially running out of matches to catch up with Liverpool.
“It’s not in our hands,” Guardiola said. “All we can do is think of Aston Villa [on Wednesday]. If you are top of the league – like we’ve been before – you are favourites. We prefer to win, obviously. We take the point. A tight game. I recognised my team, I’m so proud. They tried. Our intention was there. We’ll see what happens. We need to refresh our minds and legs before Aston Villa."
This marked the first instance in 58 matches that City failed to score at home. Last season, Arsenal suffered a 4-1 defeat against City in the corresponding fixture. Despite this, Mikel Arteta commended his team's progress but conceded that to clinch the title, they might have required a victory.
“We are improving, we are competing better and we are understanding how to compete in these games,” the manager said. “There’s another step to make to win championships and that’s that you have to win. Today we were able to draw and we have to improve a lot to win.”
In his press conference, Guardiola also lauded Mikel Arteta's tactical setup, consistently highlighting the defensive numbers and deep positioning deployed by Arsenal to grind out a result.
"I recognised my team, I'm so proud. Arsenal dropped (deep) really well. It was difficult to find (passes) in the tight spaces. The low block was really difficult. Our intention was there. They defended so well in the low block with a lot of people, surrounding Erling (Haaland). Be patient and find the pass," he said.
Guardiola further said, "There are different ways to do it. They did well with the press and then after the block. It doesn't matter how many players you defend with, the main target is not to concede. I only control my team and the rest I don't know."
Asked how to break down a stubborn defensive line, Guardiola cheekily replied, "Kill someone? Play with nine?"
City have only collected four points from matches against the top five teams this season, a significant drop from the 16 points they earned last season. Guardiola conceded that they are now depending on favors from other teams as they pursue a fourth consecutive title.
As someone accustomed to intense title races, Guardiola defended his team by suggesting that critics tend to have short memories.
"You pretend like it was 7-0 every week for the last six years. Because we won five in six, you (think we) have to win by being 10 points in front. You can't because they are really good, Jurgen (Klopp) and Mikel with their teams are exceptional. As a team we're still there," he said.
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