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Winning league titles, according to Pep Guardiola, is a bit of a recipe.
The Manchester City manager is worth listening to on most football topics, but especially on the subject in which he is adept enough to have been successful in eight out of 11 campaigns. To say he’s probably most remembered for two glamorous Champions League crowns in three years, it’s the league that Guardiola has proven to be in a league of his own.
The philosophy of the City coach, as explained in the book Pep Confidential by Marti Perarnau, is that you always have to be within reach of the leaders. “League titles are won in the last eight games,” he said, “but lost in the first eight.”
Ahead of his first meeting with champion Liverpool on Sunday, Guardiola has wanted to downplay the importance of the game. However, the Blues have already lost valuable points in the middle of their first six games, and then play on two of the teams the City manager believes may be the best in 38 games.
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As demonstrated in recent years by inflicting Liverpool’s only defeat in the 2018/19 campaign on last season’s dismal overall record, results against the top six are absolutely vital if you want to win the league.
The city manager, of course, may be right that this season is slightly different as a result of the pandemic; it certainly looks like a point count above 95 won’t be needed to take the title this time around. Due to the extraordinary circumstances, we could have some amazing results.
However, Guardiola continues to plot the same ending. He still wants his team to be in the mix to win as the final months of the season approach, and to that end, they know they can’t afford to lose too much ground to their direct rivals in head-to-head matches.
Manchester City are preparing to face Liverpool in the biggest game of the season so far.
Pep Guardiola’s men are desperate to regain the Premier League title, but the champions are already back at the top of the table, and Sunday’s crunch at the Etihad Stadium, even so early in the season, is crucial for your chances of fighting for the crown.
City are five points behind the Merseysiders in the table, but they have a game in hand, so three points on Sunday could really see them back in the race.
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Both Liverpool and Tottenham have their own challenges from last season. First up are the defending champions, who have shown they still have the mindset to attempt back-to-back titles and have a coach who got upset when his team was beaten 4-0 at the Etihad in July in their first match since being crowned champions. . .
Then comes the side against which so many things went wrong for Guardiola’s team last season. The 2-2 draw in their first home game of the season was infuriating for many reasons, and many of them were revised in the 2-0 loss in February that seemed to be the last nail in the coffin of what remained. of your team. title challenge.
City don’t need to be on top after eight games, but they probably can’t afford to be too far away.
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