Pep Guardiola Identifies Man City's Biggest Threat in The Title Race

• Manchester City secured a 2-0 win over Sheffield United on Saturday
• The win only tightened the gap at the top as City moved two points behind Liverpool
• Guardiola has now identified his biggest threat in the title race

Pep Guardiola has singled out one team as the main threat to Manchester City’s title defence.

The Cityzens followed up the 3-1 win over Everton on December 27 with another effective performance to beat relegation-threatened Sheffield United 2-0 at the Etihad.

Rodri gave the champions the first goal, latching onto Phil Foden’s pass to fire the ball into the bottom corner.

Sheffield United’s tactics were simple: pack their defence and hope to hit City on the counter. This effectively meant the Cityzens had to be patient for their second goal, which came from another Foden assist.

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The England international hit a low cross midway through the second half, which Julian Alvarez neatly tucked away.

City leap to third

Manchester City’s win only tightened the gap at the top, as they went level on points with surprise contenders Aston Villa, who also beat Burnley on Saturday. The two sides are on 40 points, two behind league leaders Liverpool.

Guardiola’s take on City’s biggest threat

Speaking after the game, Guardiola, whose side recently won the Club World Cup, avoided Arsenal in the conversation about title contenders despite only goal difference separating the two clubs.

Instead, the gaffer admitted “Liverpool were better”, and posed the biggest threat to his side’s title bid.

"So tight - we're not top of the league, Liverpool are better," he told BBC.

"We've had injuries and some problems, we won the titles, important ones, our level is really good I would say and we are there. Now rest, we all need it. January is less intense than November and December so we prepare for what's next."

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Liverpool have only lost one game all season, against Tottenham Hotspur. This run of form has helped Klopp’s men improve in 2023/24, as they sit five places above where they were at the same stage last season.

Ten Hag identifies Man United’s biggest problem

Sports Brief also reported on Erik ten Hag’s take on Manchester United’s biggest issue after their latest defeat.

United ended 2023 with a new low as they suffered 14 losses across all competitions on Saturday, December 30.

It was Nottingham Forest’s first Premier League win against Manchester United in 29 years. Nuno Espirito Santo’s side scored a late goal when it looked like the visitors had salvaged a draw.