'I don’t believe him' - Pep Guardiola dismisses Jurgen Klopp's talk of Liverpool giving up on title race

Updated 12/02/2022 at 10:10 GMT

Pep Guardiola’s men are able to go on big winning runs, and the draw with Southampton ended a run of 12 consecutive Premier League wins. The City boss believes it will take another a mammoth run of victories to win the league again, and expects Liverpool to go on a huge winning streak themselves and make their own surge for the title.

It is not done. It is nothing - Guardiola warns against City complacency in title race

Pep Guardiola has rubbished claims made by Jurgen Klopp that Liverpool cannot catch Manchester City in the Premier League title race.

City are nine points clear of the Reds, but the Merseysiders could cut that gap to six if they beat Leeds in their game in hand on February 23.

There is also an opportunity for Liverpool to make ground on their rivals down the East Lancs Road when they meet at the Etihad Stadium in April.

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Despite all of the above, it would be fair to say that Klopp is a bit downbeat on his side’s title chances.

"I am not sure we are in a position to get them on their toes," he said following the 2-0 win over Leicester. "We have no chance to catch them but that does not mean we shall not try to play the best possible season for us.”

Those words were emphatically dismissed by Guardiola, and the Spaniard refuses to believe that Klopp has given up hope of winning the title.

Jurgen Klopp.

Image credit: Eurosport

He said in his Norwich pre-match press conference: “I don’t believe him!”

“Absolutely [it’s possible that Liverpool can win the league] and he thinks the same, otherwise he wouldn’t be the competitor that he is.

“Of course, he believes. In football, everything can happen. He knows that he has to win a lot of games, like we know we have to win a lot of games to fight to be champion again.”

City returned to winning ways in the Premier League with a 2-0 victory over Brentford on Wednesday, which followed on from a 1-1 draw away at Southampton in their previous league outing on January 22.

Guardiola’s men are able to go on big winning runs, and that draw on the south coast ended a run of 12 consecutive Premier League wins.

Pep Guardiola believes Liverpool will push his Manchester City side all the way in the Premier League title race.

Image credit: Getty Images

The City boss believes it will take another a mammoth run of victories to win the league, and expects the Reds to go on a winning streak themselves and make their own surge for the title.

"Both teams have shown over the years that they can make an incredible run of victories in a row," Guardiola added. "If one team is able, they can.

"Both have the same managers, more or less the same squads and ideas. Both could make 16, 17 wins in a row. They can do it – we can do it too."

City will be huge favourites to overcome Norwich when the two teams battle it out at Carrow Road on Saturday night.

Dean Smith heads into his 100th game as a Premier League manager having seen his side claim seven points from their previous three matches to move within a point of safety.

But any hopes of going four league games unbeaten look slim, with Guardiola’s men having won 17 of their last 19 games across all competitions.

Meanwhile, Liverpool’s title charge continues when they play Burnley at Turf Moor on Sunday afternoon.

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