Liverpool told to ‘look over their shoulders’ with ‘jewel in Man City crown’ spearheading ‘formidable’ title pursuit
Rio Ferdinand has issued the likes of Liverpool, Arsenal and Aston Villa a severe Premier League title warning, with Kevin de Bruyne’s return giving Manchester City a phenomenal boost in their hunt for the trophy.
Man City endured a poor run of form in the league – compared to their own incredibly high standards – between November 12 and December 16. Pep Guardiola’s side were held to draws by Chelsea, Liverpool, Tottenham and Crystal Palace. They also lost 1-0 to Aston Villa, while their only win in that period came when they beat Luton Town 2-1 on December 10.
Those disappointing results gave the likes of Liverpool, Villa and Arsenal hope over a mounting a successful title challenge. Although, City are now back on form.
They have since recorded three straight league wins and scored eight goals in that time. The Citizens’ most recent victory came on Saturday, when they beat Newcastle United 3-2 in an enthralling encounter at St James’ Park.
That game saw Kevin de Bruyne come off the bench in the 69th minute when City were 2-1 down and go on to register a brilliant goal and a fantastic assist in a game-changing performance. That was only the attacking midfielder’s second Prem appearance of the season, as he has been out since August with a hamstring injury.
During an appearance on TNT Sports, Ferdinand told City’s title rivals to be wary as De Bruyne’s return gives Guardiola one of the most potent weapons in world football. “Pep Guardiola, very rarely do you see him as animated as he was today,” the pundit said (via the Manchester Evening News). “I’ll tell you one thing, that man there [De Bruyne], you’re back, you are back. You are the jewel in the crown, you’re back. Look at us now, watch momentum kick in now and these guys know what to do.
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“These guys know when to put the pedal to the floor and it looks like now everybody is going to be looking over their shoulders and looking around and saying ‘they are coming’. They know how to get the job done, they have the experience, the depth, the class, the quality and the firepower. Formidable.”
The MEN’s report also includes Ferdinand’s title prediction from October, when he explained why he wants Tottenham Hotspur to triumph even though City are almost always viewed as favourites.
Rio Ferdinand backing Man City to win title
“I still think City will win,” Ferdinand said. “Arsenal are in there, Arsenal have a good chance, I can’t lie. Arsenal have got a massive chance. I’d actually like Arsenal to win it this year, I would. That would mean City don’t win four in a row.
“I’d actually prefer Spurs. Come on Ange, come on Ange, I am Spurs mad. This geezer’s brought something into that squad that we haven’t seen for a long time.
“They were pining for Pochettino at one point, they’ve moved on now. They’ve moved on and now they’ve got a guy who they believe in. We’re eight games in so I’m not going to get carried away, but there’s such an uplift at that football club because of what that man has done.”
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