MY ACCOUNT
Manchester City are the favourites to win the Premier League this year, according to former striker Paul Dickov.
Pep Guardiola’s defending champions started off the new term with a 1-0 loss away at Tottenham but have embarked on a six-game unbeaten run to leave them third — two points behind leaders Chelsea.
City beat Thomas Tuchel’s side 1-0 at Stamford Bridge last Saturday before battling for a well-deserved point against fellow title contenders Liverpool in a thrilling 2-2 draw at Anfield.
The latter result saw Liverpool extend their unbeaten run to 17 games but Dickov sees his former club’s recent run of form as proof that they are the team to beat.
“Yeah, I think they have to be,” Dickov responded when asked if City were favourites to win the league.
“I think if you look at the week that they’ve just had you know there’s probably three of the toughest away games in one week that is against three of the best teams in Europe — Chelsea, PSG and then Liverpool.
“The record has not always been great for Manchester City so for me, I look at the strength and depth in the Manchester City squad and that just edges it for me for them to be the favourites.”
City conceded more goals against Jurgen Klopp’s side (two) than in their previous seven top-flight games combined beforehand, but the draw means Liverpool have only managed to beat City on one of the last seven occasions in the Premier League.
Guardiola’s team may have, perhaps understandably, felt hard done by to leave Anfield without all three points, but Dickov sees City’s squad as the reason they will retain their title this campaign.
“I think the quality they’ve got in the squad, for me over the course of a very long, hard season in England, that’s the thing that stands out for me,” he continued.
“We look at the team [on Sunday] and they had Raheem Sterling and Riyad Mahrez sitting on the bench.
“[There is] Ferran Torres or Ilkay Gudogan, who was possibly Manchester City’s best player last season, coming back from injury. [They have] Fernandinho, John Stones, I could just go on and on.
“That squad, that for me is the thing that’s going to make the big difference over the course of the season because I don’t feel the other teams are quite like that.”
