Resigned to the fact that Liverpool will be crowned the Premier League champions in the current campaign, Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola said the focus now for his side is to regain the title next season. The Spaniard, however, has acknowledged that the competition will only get tougher the next term and winning will not be easy.
The favorite will remain Liverpool as the club is expected to remain largely unchanged. Guardiola said he reckons there will be at least seven teams that can be considered as top contenders. To be sure, the manager is confident that City will figure on top of the fierce slugfest for next season.
Surprisingly, the Spanish coach pointed to Manchester United as a team to look out for. The side led by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has been mostly struggling at the start of the season's campaign but made headway in the aftermath of the January transfer window.
Solskjaer brought in Bruno Fernandes and Odion Ighalo and the club started winning, picking up 11 matches victory before football was suspended in March. Guardiola said the squad from Old Trafford has been gaining traction.
"We saw in the last period how Man United made a step forward," Manchester Evening News reported the City boss as saying.
He took note too that Chelsea boss Frank Lampard has been securing signings that are expected to boost the Blues on the pitch in the coming term. Lampard finalized the transfer last week of Timo Werner from RB Leipzig but he is still targeting another Bundesliga sensation to recruit.
If the plan will unfold as intended, Chelsea will want to win the signature of German playmaker Kai Havertz, and the signing got the notice of observers like Guardiola. The Spaniard noted that Lampard's side will sure see the result of the investments being made in the transfer market in the seasons to come.
Guardiola likewise picked Tottenham and Arsenal as sides to perform even better. The Spurs will see their key players like Harry Kane becoming fit again and Jose Mourinho will surely work his squad to make for a title run.
The Gunners could see significant roster changes in the months to come and Mikel Arteta will be there to work his wonders, according to Guardiola, who only has good words for his erstwhile assistant.
Guardiola also reflected on the disappointments of the season. It's now certain that City's quest to make win No. 3 in the Premier League title is not happening as Liverpool will be getting the trophy in just two games. Then UEFA handed down the decision to ban the Etihad side from competing in European competitions, which will keep the club out of the Champions League in the next two years.
Per The Guardian, Guardiola is optimistic that City will learn from the lessons of disappointment and mistake, and use the realizations to do better next season.
