Guardiola not counting on history repeating itself chasing “unstoppable” Liverpool

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola insists he will not be drawing on last season’s Premier League title win for inspiration this year.

City overcame a seven-point gap to win the league for the second year in a row last season, piping Liverpool by one point in a dramatic title race.

Can Manchester City catch Liverpool? Five things to know…

• Liverpool currently sit eight points clear at the top of the Premier League table.
• Jurgen Klopp’s men remain perfect in the league after eight games.
• The Reds had a similar lead last season, but would lose out to Manchester City.
• But Pep Guardiola is not counting on history repeating itself.
• The Spaniard hailed Liverpool as unstoppable, but vowed to continue his fight for the title.

This season, Liverpool already boast an eight-point lead over City at the top of the Premier League table with the new campaign just eight games old. The Reds remain perfect in their quest for a first league title since 1990, while City have already lost twice with defeats to Norwich City and Wolverhampton Wanderers.

And Guardiola is not relying on history repeating itself, admitting Liverpool currently look unstoppable in their quest for Premier League glory.

“I don’t believe in that kind of thing, every season is different,” he told reporters.

“In sport the only way to do well is to stay in the present. I’m not setting any points targets or objectives at this stage.

“In April and May you can do that but what we are facing is an opponent who are unstoppable right now. Liverpool are champions of Europe and haven’t lost once in eight games.

“We’ll just have to try and do what we can, we have 50 games left in all competitions. I’m not concerned about being the guy who thinks he’s going to win every Premier League for the rest of his life.”

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Guardiola: Premier League level is rising all the time

While there was a 15-point gap between second-placed Liverpool and Chelsea in third at the end of last season, this year the fight below the league leaders is a lot closer.

Third-placed Arsenal sit just one point behind Man City going into the ninth gameweek, with Leicester City, Chelsea and Crystal Palace trailing by two in fourth, fifth and sixth respectively.

And Guardiola has praised the improvements of Arsenal and Chelsea, who have overcome difficult spells already this season to look like genuine top four contenders.

He added: “Of course I still want to win, and I still believe we are contenders, but there is a long way to go and all sorts of dynamics, momentums and injuries still to happen. If we don’t win I will say congratulations to the team that does.

“What Liverpool are doing is fantastic but Chelsea and Arsenal are also getting better. The level is rising all the time.”

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