"It's incredible to have a team like Liverpool" - Manchester City star heaps praise on Jurgen Klopp's side after last season's dramatic Premier League title finish
Manchester City skipper Ilkay Gundogan has heaped praise on Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool after last season's dramatic Premier League title finish.
The title race went down to the wire last season until the final matchday before Gundogan's heroic appearance off the bench helped the Cityzens retain their title.
Manchester City and Liverpool have battled each other for dominance in English football in recent years.
The title has been decided by just one point on two occasions in the last five years and Gundogan has heaped praise on the Reds for that.
The Manchester City skipper has claimed that the incredible competition between the two clubs has taken the Premier League to an entirely different level. He told The Telegraph:
“I think it’s exactly that. The Premier League is on such a high level and you have to get 95-96 points to win the league which is incredible."
Roberto Firmino on Jurgen Klopp:
"Having him with us today is amazing. He never stops giving me advice. He's a massive father figure for me here at Liverpool. I'm so grateful to play under and be coached by a great leader." #lfc [liverpool echo] https://t.co/80kmlGJqOP
"It’s not something you could imagine a few years ago. It’s set the standard and having Liverpool there obviously helped us a lot and helped them to reach new limits also."
Gundogan has hailed the Merseyside giants, led by his former Borussia Dortmund manager, for their amazing intensity. He added:
“It’s incredible to have a team like Liverpool who you have to compete with and who play with such intensity. They push every single game and for a period of time last season they felt unstoppable and we always had to answer to that which also made it exciting for us, to be honest.”
Liverpool look unlikely to challenge Manchester City this season
Just like every other season in recent years, Liverpool and Manchester City started the new season as Premier League favorites.
However, it looks quite unlikely that the Reds will be the prime challengers to Pep Guardiola's side this campaign.
Jurgen Klopp's side have not made the best start to their season and seem to be far from their usual best from right now.
No player in the Premier League has more goals this season than Erling Haaland.
No player in the Premier League has more assists this season than Kevin De Bruyne.
This duo 🔥 https://t.co/Z7PZbAaoMF
The Sky Blues, on the other hand, look stronger with the arrival of Erling Haaland, who has scored 14 goals in 10 games across competitions.
Klopp has a huge task on his hands if he has to help his side recover from their dismal start to the season and mount a title challenge from here.
Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and even Manchester United seem to be in a better place to challenge Manchester City this campaign.