Pep Guardiola feels Manchester City cannot compete against Manchester United and Liverpool

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has reportedly stated that his team cannot compete with major Premier League clubs. Guardiola’s statement comes after City’s most recent defeat against Manchester United in the derby. The defeat against United was Guardiola’s fourth in the Premier League this season.

Also Read | Pep Guardiola Lends Support To Fred After Racism Chants; Club Condemns The Incident

'Cannot compete against Liverpool and Manchester United'

Guardiola stated that they need to improve, accept their defeat and move forward. Manchester United had the quality to defend and attack the counter. He further accepted that they have to face teams like Liverpool and Manchester United. He added that the reality was that they were not able to compete with them. He believes that the team needs to accept their recent failures and strive towards improving their performance. On trailing 14 points to Liverpool in the Premier League, Guardiola stated that his team was trailing because of the mistakes they have done as well as due to the quality of their opponents. He also accepted that his team’s recent performances will help them improve in other competitions as well.

Also Read | Pep Guardiola States That He Has Not Switched His Focus Towards The Champions League Yet

Manchester United defeated Manchester City in the Premier League

Manchester United defeated Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday, December 7, 2019. Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial scored for their side in the first half of the match. City center-back Nicolas Otamendi scored in the 85th minute but failed to salvage a point from the match for the hosts.

Also Read | Ole Gunnar Solskjaer Says Manchester United Is Still Bigger Than Manchester City

Manchester City are placed third in the Premier League Points table

The defeat against United leaves Guardiola’s side third in the Premier League table, behind Liverpool and Leicester City. Manchester United are fifth in the Premier League with two consecutive wins against Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City. Manchester City will play against Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League on Wednesday, December 11, 2019 at 11.25 pm (IST). City are leading in group C of the tournament, with three wins and two draws out of the total five matches played. They have already qualified for the knock out stages of the competition.

Also Read | Manchester City Boss Pep Guardiola Taunts Liverpool Over Schedule Complaints