Guardiola rates Manchester City’s chances of catching Liverpool in title race

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has said that it is unrealistic that the Citizens will catch Liverpool in the race for the Premier League title. The Citizens recently reduced the gap to the leaders down to 11 points with a victory over Leicester City but they have played an extra game as the Reds were on Club World Cup duty over the weekend.

Speaking in a press conference, Guardiola said that he is not optimistic of the Citizens’ comeback in the Premier League title race, particularly with the Reds losing just one league game over the past 18 months, he told: “When a team has 16 victories from 17 [games] it’s unrealistic to think we are going to chase them. It’s unrealistic right now.
“We have to try to win our games, secure Champions League for next season and then you never know, no? If they drop a couple of games, and we win and win, I don’t know. When one team lose one game in the last 53 or 54, I’m not optimistic that they are going to lose four or five in ten or eleven games because they are incredibly strong.”

The Mancunian giants have had their concerns at the heart of the defence this season and that has largely contributed to their struggles in the Premier League. The long-term injury for Aymeric Laporte has been the prime reason for the average campaign and the Citizensare likely to spend on a new centre-back when the transfer window reopens.

Manchester City are scheduled to face Wolverhampton Wanderers on the road on Boxing Day and the match should provide another tricky challenge. Wolves have taken four points from the past three league meetings against the Citizens and they registered a shock 2-0 triumph during the reverse fixture at the Etihad Stadium this season.