Liverpool defender Trent Alexander-Arnold has issued a transparent warning to these ruling out Manchester Metropolis within the ongoing race for the Premier League title this season.
The reigning Premier League champions come into their subsequent English top-flight encounter trailing Liverpool by eight factors and mendacity in fourth place within the desk, realizing that any additional slip-ups might trigger them big issues additional down the road.
The deficit within the Premier League desk is a part of a wider run of poor kind for Manchester Metropolis throughout competitions, dropping seven of their final 10 matches and profitable only one recreation in that point, while Juventus’ 2-0 win over Guardiola’s facet created European considerations.
However regardless of the poor kind from the champions, and having misplaced consecutive matches in opposition to Bournemouth, Brighton & Hove Albion, Liverpool, and Tottenham within the top-flight, certainly one of Metropolis’s main rivals for the title has issued a stern warning to these competing.
Talking to Sky Sports activities this week forward of one other spherical of Premier League motion this weekend, Trent Alexander-Arnold admitted that while Metropolis’s current kind is a “large shock to everybody”, groups shouldn’t be ruling Pep Guardiola’s facet out of the title race.
“I’ve all the time mentioned if you happen to’ve ever received an opportunity to beat Metropolis, it’s all the time earlier than Christmas. I believe possibly they’re nonetheless discovering their toes within the first three, 4 months after which after Christmas occurring to New Yr, at that time you possibly can neglect about beating them,” the Liverpool star mentioned.
The Merseyside defender continued, “You possibly can truthfully neglect about it, as a result of not many groups do (beat them)! As soon as it clicks round New Yr, they’ll go 5 months with out dropping a recreation and so they may draw one or two, however they’ll simply win and keep on profitable.
“I wouldn’t be shocked if that was the case once more. They’ve in all probability dropped extra factors than they ever have to date, however they’re a group which have gained 4 in a row, a Treble a few seasons in the past, extremely sturdy with world class gamers, an unbelievable supervisor as nicely.
“So you possibly can by no means rule them out and I wouldn’t be shocked in the event that they had been again within the title race come the tip of the season.”
Manchester Metropolis tackle Manchester United in a mammoth version of the bitter rivalry between the 2 golf equipment on the Etihad Stadium on Sunday afternoon, with either side determined to place collectively a constant run of profitable kind to enhance their respective seasons.
Liverpool might prolong their lead over Metropolis to 11 factors earlier than kick-off within the weekend’s Manchester derby, while additionally holding a recreation in hand over their opponents following the postponement of their journey to Everton earlier this month.