Alan Shearer believes that Manchester City could be OUT of the Premier League title race if Liverpool wins against Southampton and then gets the three points when the two contenders meet at Anfield next Sunday.
After Pep Guardiola’s side lost 4-0 at home to Tottenham, Liverpool has the chance to move eight points clear at the top later today. Arsenal won 3-0 against Nottingham Forest but Mikel Arteta’s men remain a point behind Manchester City. If Liverpool does win both league fixtures this week, it will move 11 points ahead of Manchester City with more than a third of the campaign gone.
“Liverpool away is a massive game next weekend for Man City,” BBC pundit Shearer said on Match of the Day. “For the first time I would have real concerns over them. I am seeing too many worrying signs. If Liverpool win on Sunday and next week, I think Man City would find it really tough.”
Liverpool has not lost at home to Manchester City with supporters inside Anfield since 2003. Last season, John Stones opened the scoring but Alexis Mac Allister pulled the Reds level from the penalty spot.
“People are saying it can’t get worse — but it can get worse,” Guardiola said after the Spurs match. “The exceptional things we have done over the last eight years are not eternal. I said how difficult it was to do the things we have done — and now people might believe me.”
Guardiola also touched on the team’s current vulnerabilities: “We are a bit fragile right now, but we can’t run away. We have to face it. I would like to say there is just one reason for losing three Premier League games in a row. There are many details that we have to fix.”
Liverpool.com says: Suddenly, Real Madrid in the Champions League has become the least important match of the week. If Liverpool can get wins against Southmpton and Manchester City, that would be monumental in terms of the title race. At that point, even Arne Slot would struggle to say the Reds weren’t the favorite.