Pep Guardiola jokingly labels Liverpool a ‘pain in the a**’ as he brands Jurgen Klopp’s side the biggest threat to Manchester City’s hopes of winning the Champions League after thrashing Sporting Lisbon
- Pep Guardiola has jokingly labelled rivals Liverpool a ‘pain in the a**’
- Man City thrashed Sporting Lisbon 5-0 in the Champions League on Tuesday
- City are favourites to conquer Europe, but Guardiola has played it down
- He singled out Liverpool as a team that can cause his side real problems
Pep Guardiola has joked that Liverpool are one of just a few teams that can stop them winning the Champions League this season because they are a ‘pain in the a**’.
The Premier League leaders demonstrated why they are the bookies’ favourites to conquer Europe this campaign with a 5-0 thumping of Sporting Lisbon in Portugal on Tuesday night.
However, the Spaniard has sought to play down his side’s prospects of winning their first European title come May, insisting that there are a handful of teams that pose a threat.
Pep Guardiola has singled out Liverpool as Man City’s biggest European threat this season
Guardiola included English rivals Liverpool, the only team that have truly challenged his side at domestic level over the past few years. He jokingly described the Reds as a ‘pain in the a**’.
‘Last season in the Champions League, we played 14 or 15 games, won 12, drew one and we lost the final,’ he told CBS Sport. ‘So better performances in the Champions League than last season is impossible.
‘People say “this year we have to win the Champions League”, we tried last season, two seasons ago as well. Every time we play we try to do it.
‘The important thing is after six seasons together, especially the last five still, right now, after players won everything, still they fight for each other, look at Raheem [Sterling], look at Bernardo [Silva].’
The Premier League champions are the favourites to win the Champions League this term
However, Guardiola insists that his side will face tough challenges from the likes of Liverpool
When asked which team could beat them in Europe, Guardiola said: ‘Liverpool. They are six points behind us, Liverpool are the bigger rivals in the past seasons, always there.
‘They are a pain in the a** all the time. They are a fantastic team in Europe. Just take a look at PSG today, they played really well against Madrid, look at Inter Milan or Liverpool or United.
‘When you are the favourite, they don’t assure you in April or May. In a long competition like the Premier League, when you win it you are the best.
‘In the Champions League our goal [focus] is the next minutes, the next game because it changes everything. In the Premier League no [it doesn’t] but in this competition it is like this.’
City currently lead Liverpool by nine points in the Premier League table, although Jurgen Klopp’s side have a game in hand over the reigning champions.
He joked Jurgen Klopp’s side are a ‘pain in the arse’ after years of challenging for top prizes
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