Pep Guardiola dismisses Jurgen Klopp's 'no weakness' claim about Manchester City
Pep Guardiola has knocked down Jurgen Klopp’s claim that Manchester City have no weaknesses, arguing that every team is fallible.
Klopp’s Liverpool and Guardiola’s Manchester City are the Premier League’s leading two teams going into the Christmas programme, and it is increasingly likely that they will be fighting it out between them for the title come the spring.
Liverpool are a point clear of second-placed City as they prepare to visit Wolves in the Premier League on Friday evening, with Guardiola’s side at home to Crystal Palace on Saturday.
It is the meeting of City and Liverpool at the Etihad Stadium on January 3, though, which is widely anticipated as the highlight of the festive fixture list.
Klopp claimed this week that the only team who can stop City winning the league are themselves, saying: “I can’t say that City are lucky here and lucky there. They aren’t. Every matchday, they are spot on. There’s no sign of weakness.”
Guardiola, though, believes his team, who lost their season’s unbeaten league record when they lost 2-0 at Chelsea on December 8, are by no means perfect.
The City manager said: “Any team has strong points and weak points. Of course we have weaknesses. We are working on it, but that's normal. These kind of comments have to be put in perspective.”
Playmaker David Silva is back in training as he recovers from the hamstring injury he suffered against Chelsea, but will not be available to face Palace.
“David has taken his first steps but still he is not ready,” Guardiola said. “I don't know when he will be back – over Christmas, maybe.”
Centre-back Vincent Kompany will be absent with a muscular problem, but Kevin de Bruyne could make his first league start of the season, having played and scored in Wednesday’s Carabao Cup win at Leicester after recovering from two knee injuries.
Sergio Aguero, who started the Leicester match after coming back from a groin problem sustained at the end of November, will compete for a place in attack with Gabriel Jesus, scorer if two goals in last Saturday’s 3-1 victory over Everton.
