Former Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez says there are two key advantages that the Reds have in the Premier League title race which makes them favourites to win the league for the first time in three decades.
Writing on his blog, Benitez, now the boss of Chinese club Dalian Yifang, explained that firstly, the Reds’ lead in the table already means Pep Guardiola’s men cannot afford to drop many more points, which massively increases the pressure on them.
He said: “It you look at the table, Liverpool has a great advantage at the moment. It is too early to tell much from that, but Manchester City can’t make too many mistakes or the pressure might become too much.”
READ MORE:
Dortmund sporting director makes Jadon Sancho transfer admission as Reds links persist
Secondly, Benitez believes that City’s attention might switch to the Champions League as the season goes on, given, of course, that they have never won that competition despite spending so much over the last few years in an attempt to do so.
He added: “Later they will start thinking about the Champions League and lose their focus on the Premier League which obviously would be good for Liverpool.”
Nothing is won yet for the Reds but as Benitez has outlined, the signs so far are promising.
Maintain, or even extend, the buffer to Manchester City before they come to Anfield on November 10 and there will be huge pressure on them to come to Merseyside and win – something no team has done in the Premier League since April 2017.