News

Pep Guardiola says Arsenal are now doing what prime Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool did during iconic title battles

Add as preferred source on Google

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has highlighted a similarity between the current Arsenal side and Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool.

The Premier League has had many great rivalries over the years.

The battles between Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal and Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United are still the greatest, but title races between Guardiola and Klopp were a great watch as well.

Now, the Manchester City boss has a similar feeling about his rivalry with Mikel Arteta as the two managers battle it out for the Premier League title.

How concerned are you that Arsenal are ‘bottling it’ again?

A graphic to show Arsenal's Premier League form in 2026.
Credit: Getty Images/Catherine Ivill – AMA

Pep Guardiola says Arsenal are giving him the ‘same feeling’ as prime Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool

The Premier League title race this season is between Arsenal and Manchester City.

The Gunners are currently five points clear at the top of the table, but Pep Guardiola’s side have a game in hand, which effectively means the gap is just two points.

Many people feel the title will be decided when the two teams meet at the Etihad Stadium in April this year, and that could well be the case.

Guardiola, however, believes his side may have to win all their remaining games because he thinks Arsenal can put on a lengthy winning run at any moment.

Mikel Arteta embraces Pep Guardiola before Arsenal vs Manchester City
Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images

That, the City boss says, was the ‘same feeling’ he had when he was fighting Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool for the title a few years ago.

He said in his press conference, as relayed on HaytersTV: “The experience that we lived in the past against Liverpool, that we should win a lot of games, I never thought, like you asked me, 12 games left and are we going to win 12 games?

“Never-ever I thought that. It happened because we knew that the rival is so strong that if we lose games, it will be so difficult.

“It’s the same feeling I have with Arsenal. Arsenal dropped points in the last game (against Wolves), but they can win in a row a lot, a lot, a lot of games.”

Did Arsenal blow their Premier League title chances vs Wolves or is Ange Postecoglou still right?

Ange Postecoglou on the Premier League title race
Credit: HENRY NICHOLLS/AFP via Getty Images

Arsenal need to do what Jurgen Klopp and Liverpool never did

Klopp’s Liverpool were involved in two very tight title races with Manchester City.

On both occasions, in the 2018/19 and 2021/22 seasons, Guardiola’s men won the title by one point on the final day of the campaign.

The only time Liverpool won the Premier League in that era was in 2019/20, the season impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic. The Reds ran away with the title and finished 18 points clear on top.

Arsenal are involved in a tight title race this time, and they have to do what Liverpool failed to do in the two close seasons they had – win the title.

Only time will tell if the Gunners can get over the line.