Pep Guardiola believes Manchester City are the biggest threat to his Premier League title after his side returned to the title race on Saturday.
Despite winning 2-0, City held a major advantage over Sheffield United, enjoying 82% home possession.
Rodri tried an early breakthrough when he fired into the bottom corner from Phil Foden’s neat pass, but the slim half-time lead did not reflect the one-sided nature of the game. The Blades were resolute in defense and managed to turn the tide until Foden played provider midway through the second half, his low cross being headed home by Julian Alvarez. It marked City’s first league title since returning from winning the FIFA Club World Cup in Saudi Arabia and moved them two points clear of leaders Liverpool.
Aston Villa moved level on points with the Reds after beating Burnley but remained between the two sides having played more games than their two title rivals. City are only separated by goal difference from fourth-placed Arsenal in an increasingly exciting title race.But in his post-match interview, the Spanish manager made no mention of the Gunners as he put pressure on his side’s hopes of a fourth straight league title. Instead, the focus is on Jurgen Klopp and his teammates.”It’s too tight.
We’re not top of the league. Liverpool are better.” He admitted to the BBC: “We’ve had injuries, we’ve had some difficulties. We’ve won titles, important titles, the level is very good and we’re there. Now just calm down, we all need it.” January is less crowded than November and December, so prepare for the future. While many share the view that Villa are not ready to go that far, fans in north London have nothing to say about Arsenal. Mikel Arteta scored late on to help City win their third consecutive title and, had they not lost to West Ham on Thursday, they would now be ahead of the champions. City’s ambitions of a fourth game in a row before Christmas have been hampered by defensive fragility.
Their most recent win was their first clean sheet in the Premier League since October 29 and they have played in eight top-flight games since then. With Arsenal and Liverpool set to face Fulham and Newcastle respectively in the next 48 hours, Guardiola acknowledged the achievement: “Very important. Against Chelsea we conceded four goals and although we scored a lot of goals in the game, we had very few chances here. “It’s important to note that.”
