Pep Guardiola seems to be in a touchy disposition after the Sky Blues’ Champions League ouster as he took several swipes at Liverpool – including a cheeky jibe over the Reds’ league failures of the past three decades – after his valiant Manchester City squad convincingly sallied five scorchers past Newcastle on Sunday.
The Spaniard maestro chose to take aim at the Reds over their “30 years” of repeated failures in the Premier League after his City side resolutely bounced back in spectacular fashion by demolishing Newcastle 5-0 with apparent ease. The five-star performance was the opportunity for Guardiola’s side to capitalise on Liverpool’s fumble against Tottenham to open up a decisive three-point lead at the summit with a better goal difference.
Noticeably spiky and a tad abrasive in his post-match interviews, Guardiola accused “everyone” of suppporting Liverpool in the title race before actually firing a salvo at the Reds over their Premier League history of failures, uncharacteristically firing a bitter jibe in Liverpool’s direction as he highlighted how they had only won one league title in 30 years.
“Everyone in this country supports Liverpool, the media and everyone,” Guardiola told beIN SPORTS shortly after City’s trouncing of the Magpies.
“Of course because Liverpool has an incredible history behind in European competition – not in the Premier League, because they’ve won one in 30 years – but it’s not a problem at all.
“The situation is what it is. We need to do nine points or maybe six right now, it depends what happens in the next two games in terms of goal difference, but now Wednesday is the real, real final for us.
“We are going to try to win there. Our destiny is in our hands and this is important. We have to look at ourselves. With one point or three points, nothing’s changed. We have to do it.”
When asked whether he really believes the rest of the country are behind Jurgen Klopp’s side, Guardiola added: “Liverpool alongside [Manchester] United are the most important teams in [English football] history in terms of titles, legacy, history, dramas – for many, many things – but we are since the last 10, 11, 12 years, up there. I know we are sometimes uncomfortable, but I don’t care.
“If the people want more wins for Liverpool than us, it’s not an issue, it’s normal. Maybe I have more supporters all around the whole world and here Liverpool have more supporters than us.”
With three league games remaining in the current campaign, City are now merely a whisker’s breadth away from claiming their fourth Premier League title in five seasons under Guardiola.