Pep Guardiola has admitted that there’s ‘no doubt’ about Liverpool’s quality, but urged Manchester City to focus on themselves.
Jurgen Klopp’s side are defending Premier League champions for a reason and they showed why today.
Even without Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez, Thiago and Diogo Jota – four players who probably would’ve started this afternoon – Liverpool still thumped Crystal Palace 7-0 at Selhurst Park.
City recorded a good 1-0 win away to Southampton later in the day to move eight points behind the top-of-the-table Reds – who have played one game more – and Guardiola has insisted that his players must try to forget about Liverpool and concentrate on their own form.
He told Sky Sports: “We are a long way away, look at the table. There is no doubt about how good Liverpool are, but I tell the guys to forget about it. They have all the momentum by scoring these goals at Palace.”
This will bring a smile to a lot of Liverpool fans’ faces.
To have Guardiola admitting that his troops are ‘a long way away’ this early in the season bodes really well for Klopp’s side as far as defending their title goes.
But the Anfield club can’t rest on their laurels. They know how good Manchester City can be, easily capable of winning five, six or seven Premier League games in a row, so the Merseysiders will have to focus on their form, too.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
