Manchester City seem poised to challenge for the Premier League title, having returned from their Club World Cup triumph and making up ground in the table with consecutive wins over Everton and Sheffield United. However, despite their recent success, Pep Guardiola emphasised that there’s still much work to be done.
In his post-game press conference at the weekend, Guardiola acknowledges Liverpool’s superiority in the Premier League title race, highlighting their higher point tally at the halfway stage of the season as evidence of their superiority over Manchester City.
Nevertheless, Manchester City have advanced to third position, surpassing Arsenal, after Arsenal’s consecutive defeats. Both Liverpool and Aston Villa sit atop the league with 42 points each, but Liverpool have the opportunity to extend their lead by five points if they secure a victory against Newcastle tonight.
City received a significant boost with Kevin De Bruyne’s return to the matchday squad against Sheffield United. De Bruyne had been sidelined with a hamstring injury since the opening game of the season against Burnley. However, Guardiola clarified that while Kevin De Bruyne received a warm welcome from the crowd during his warm-up against Sheffield United, there were no plans to bring him on during the match.
Additionally, Guardiola provided an update on De Bruyne’s fitness.
“No. He’s almost close, but we ask him to come to the bench to start to be in the locker room. It’s three months [since], a lot of time, since he’s been out. Being ready, but he’s close.
“Nobody asks me for Jeremy! Just Kevin and Erling.”