Liverpool fans have hit back at Pep Guardiola for suggesting that they are ‘rivals’ with Manchester City, as he told his pre-match press conference.
The last two Premier League champions will lock horns at Anfield on Sunday afternoon, with the away side looking to end Liverpool’s free-scoring and unbeaten start to the campaign.
Ahead of the game, there have been a number of kind words said from the opposition, despite them being ‘rivals’, as mentioned by the Spaniard.
Guardiola has also suggested that Jurgen Klopp has made him a ‘better manager’ after a number of battles between Liverpool and Man City over the years.
“For many years, we try to compete against this legendary club,” said Guardiola. “It’s an honour to be rivals, because it means we are competing against one of the more historic teams in England, alongside United. That’s nice for us
“But Liverpool fans aren’t having any of it because they think he is trying to hype their team up, to ease pressure on themselves, before the game.”
Plus, the Reds see the likes of Everton and Manchester United as rivals, not a team with little to no history.
In truth, before Man City got taken over by the oil-rich Abu Dhabi-based group in 2008, Liverpool, not even for one second, would have seen the previously Maine Road-based club as rivals of any kind.
But it’s quite clear that their Merseyside rivals will forever be their rivals, regardless of whatever position both clubs are in.
And they will always have that deep hatred for those at Old Trafford.
Either way, it does seem to be clever tactics by Guardiola to build-up a Liverpool team that, before the season started, weren’t being talked about much like their other so-called title rivals.
But, after their goals-galore start to the new season, if they beat Man City today then people will sit up and take notice.
Here is a selection of Liverpool fans reacting to what they are hearing from Guardiola:
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