dailystar.co.uk
28.02.2022 / 14:39
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Pep Guardiola heaps praise on Man City's five rivals - but aims subtle dig at Man Utd
Pep Guardiola has named the only five Premier League sides who try to go toe-to-toe with Manchester City in matches – and Manchester United are not one of them. Man City sit top of the Premier League table, six points ahead of Liverpool, as they aim to win back-to-back titles.Guardiola’s side have won the league in three of the past four seasons and are used to dominating matches with their possession-based style.The majority of teams therefore focus on staying organised and compact, while trying to threaten on the counter-attack or at set pieces.There was a good example of those contrasting styles on Saturday in City’s narrow 1-0 win over Everton, which came via a late Phil Foden goal.After the match, Guardiola was asked whether Everton’s game plan of sitting deep to try and frustrate City was now the prevailing theme across the entire league.“I know we provoke them, but yeah, except Liverpool, Brighton, Arsenal, Villa and Leeds United, the rest, yeah,” he replied.“The rest sit back, but I’m not saying there is anything wrong with that.“Every manager can do what they want.HAVE YOUR SAY! Is Pep Guardiola right in his assessment of his rivals? Comment below.“One of the principles is to be patient.