Pep Guardiola has joined the war of words against Liverpool by suggesting Arsenal are bigger title rivals for Manchester City.
The Citizens travel to Anfield on Sunday for a top of the Premier League table clash, with the reigning champions a point behind the leading Reds.
Ahead of the match, Trent Alexander-Arnold claimed that due to the financial differences between the club, winning trophies means more to Liverpool.
His boss Jurgen Klopp defended him, but City stars Erling Haaland and Ruben Dias hit back at the comments that have stoked the fire.
And now it’s been Guardiola’s turn to add to the discourse ahead of what could potentially be a title-deciding match this weekend.
When asked if it will be easier to face post-Klopp Liverpool next season, he said: “I would like to know, but I don’t think so. Liverpool have always been Liverpool and the contenders are there.”
Guardiola then seemed to hint that Arsenal may well be bigger rivals for the title to City in a subtle dig towards the Merseyside outfit.
He stated: “Arsenal is already there, last season they were our biggest rivals. Look how they play.
“Liverpool need more than 90 minutes to win the game, sometimes more.
“Arsenal sometimes need just 25 minutes to win the games. That’s why they are there.
“I guess Tottenham will make a step forward and [Manchester] United and Newcastle will maybe be back having one game a week.
“It’s next season and I don’t have the ability to think about what is going to happen next.”
The Gunners led City for the majority of last season, but results in the latter stages dipped and they finished as runners-up.
Liverpool are also no stranger to rivalling City for the title, having done so in multiple seasons over the last ten years.
With just 11 games left to play, every result in the coming weeks will prove critical to all three sides’ chances of going all the way.
And what better chance for Liverpool or City to set the tone this weekend as they lock horns in what could be a clash for the ages.
