Pep Guardiola has admitted that “Liverpool have everything” in a wide-ranging interview with Sky Sports.
This season has been our best ever outing in the Premier League: we’ve only lost one game out of 32. With our offensive threat, plus the addition of Virgil Van Dijk and Alisson Becker things have finally been sorted out at the back too.
Despite claims from afar that we’re fortunate to be in this position, Pep seems to disagree with pundits and City fans alike by claiming that we’re “one of the strongest teams I have faced”.
“They have everything. They have good tactics, they have great defensive strength, they have very good high pressing and they have a very good counter-attack.
They had some problems with their positional play before, but that has improved a lot too. That’s why it’s so close.”
It’s not simply a vagary of chance that we find ourselves in the position we’re in; you don’t win 24 games out of 32 just by relying on luck – you make your own.
Seeing a lot of fatalism about the title race.
We have won 20 of our last 21 matches
– scoring 69 goals
– conceding 11 goals
– keeping 13 clean sheetsOthers may enjoy luck, but we have the quality and form 💙 #MCFC
— Andy Dixon (@Andy_C_Dixon) April 1, 2019
Yes, mistakes by ‘keepers at Anfield (all at the same end, strangely) have presented us with nine points, but, in all of those games a never-say-die attitude has forced errors in the opposition.
Jordan Pickford’s derby fumble? A last-minute, attacking throw of the dice. Julien Speroni’s howler at 2-2? A probing, James Milner cross that asked questions of the Crystal Palace stopper. Hugo Lloris’ dodgy take in Sunday’s Spurs game? Our unwillingness to give up on a game: we went for it til the last.
Just seen Liverpool’s winner. Fuck me, the lucky lucky bastards. If their name isn’t on it this season, they’ll never win the fuckin thing
— Cornish Blue (@1cornishblue) March 31, 2019
Rather than listenting to the folly of some City fans, Guardiola’s comments seems to suggest that he understands that it’s the underlying tactical framework, the character of our players, and our attitude on the pitch that has given us these points.
Of course, we’ve also had our share of bad luck too…
”Liverpool has been so damn lucky this season”
… 🤷🏻♂️ pic.twitter.com/wwo3jbhoNR
— Ville Lampinen (@VilleLampinen) March 31, 2019
At present, City are two points behind us, albeit with a game in hand against Cardiff on Wednesday night that could see them reclaim top spot. After that, it’s our turn to respond against Southampton.
While they continue their fraught plan to go for the Quadruple, the Reds will fight for both domestic and European glory.
There was nothing lucky about knocking City out of the Champions League with a 5-1 aggregate scoreline last year. While they cruised to the league title last year, our consistency and tenacity makes us the Citizens’ worst nightmare this time round.