Manchester City coach, Pep Guardiola, emphasized that he never considered the race for the 2021-2022 Premier League title to be over. Manchester City still leads the Premier League standings with a collection of 63 points from 26 matches.
However, The Citizens are now only six points ahead of Liverpool who are in second place. The difference in points between Man City and Liverpool was trimmed after the two champion candidates had different fates in week 26.
Man City swallowed a bitter pill following a dramatic 2-3 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur at the Etihad Stadium. Meanwhile, Liverpool won 3-1 over Norwich City. The defeat of Tottenham at the same time undermined the slick trend of The Citizens.
Previously, Guardiola’s men were unbeaten in 15 consecutive Premier League games (14 wins, 1 draw). The difference in points between Man City and Liverpool makes the competition for the title even more fierce. What’s more, the Reds have one game postponed so that they have the potential to approach or even pass The Citizens.
Guardiola himself has understood it will not be easy for his team to defend the title. Therefore, the Spanish coach never considered that the title race was over, even though Man City had taken the lead further.
“We have to fight every game to win, we are getting closer (to the title),” said Guardiola. “I said a few weeks ago, we have to collect a lot of points to be champions and this is what we will try to do,” he said. “I never said the title race was over,” said the former Barcelona tactician.
Furthermore, Guardiola assesses Man City’s mission to maintain (the title) will be increasingly difficult in the second round. What’s more, lower teams will also be more dangerous to survive in the Premier League.
“In January and February, the teams at the bottom won their games because everyone was fighting for everything. It will be difficult. We know that,” said Guardiola. Meanwhile, Man City also has the opportunity to win the treble winners in the 2021-2022 season. The reason is, Bernardo Silva et al are still playing in the Champions League and FA Cup.
