Pep Guardiola attempting to play mind-games again? Who’d have thought!
Manchester City’s manager seemingly spends half his press-conferences talking about us – and before his side’s draw v Shakhtar in the Champions League last night – he somehow managed to drop us into conversation again.
“Liverpool have six [Champions League titles] and this clubs has one semi-final. So we are far, far away from the You’ll Never Walk Alone team,” he said, according to journalist Jamie Jackson.
Can you imagine Jurgen Klopp sarcastically referring to City as ‘The Blue Moon Team’?
He wouldn’t – it’s plain odd – and the manner in which Guardiola does it is disingenuous.
The way he tries to paint his side as underdogs in our rivalry is bizarre. City are the most expensively assembled side in football history and won the domestic treble last term and broke the 100-point barrier the year previous.
Guardiola is right of course in suggesting his side lack European pedigree, even if he does so in such a smarmy manner.
Liverpool have the chance to top our Champions League Group this evening, but need to beat Napoli at Anfield in order to confirm it.
If we fail to do so, we may need a result in Austria in two week’s time v Rb Salzburg.