Guardiola dismisses ‘crazy’ title talk; names key trait Man City have found

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has insisted that it would be “crazy” to think about chasing down Premier League leaders Liverpool, following his side’s 4-1 win over Burnley on Tuesday.

City cut the gap on Jurgen Klopp’s side to eight points at Turf Moor courtesy of two goals from Gabriel Jesus, Rodri’s strike and a late Riyad Mahrez effort, with the only damepener being Robbie Brady’s late consolation.

Liverpool return to action on Wednesday evening looking to restore their lead to 11 with a win over Everton in the Merseyside Derby at Anfield, but Guardiola said he was not thinking about their rivals.

Instead, the Spaniard chose to praise his side for being “stable” in their latest performance, which saw a massive improvement from the weekend’s draw with Newcastle.

“The title is over. From what I read nobody gives us a chance. It’s done,” Guardiola said sarcastically. “I don’t believe it, but it is not about whether I believe it or I don’t believe it.

“It is about the next game. Our team is stable and that’s what we want. For the distance we have against Liverpool, it would be crazy to think about the title, honestly.

“We have to think about the (Manchester) derby (on Saturday), game by game. There are other competitions – the FA Cup, Carabao Cup and Champions League. It is important to take this rhythm for the next games.”

Guardiola also reserved special praise for Jesus, who stepped up with his brace with fellow striker Sergio Aguero ruled out through injury.

“We played good and didn’t concede much. The transitions and the space we found was good,” the manager told Amazon of his side’s overall performance.

 

 

“The goals scored were really good, incredible crosses and finishing. We need Gabriel Jesus, strikers are there to score goals and we need him. Strikers like him and Sergio Aguero live for goals.

“It’s not easy to replace Sergio but the team doesn’t have doubts about Jesus. The quality of the strikers make the difference.”

City‘s next game sees them take on Manchester United in the Manchester Derby on Saturday evening.