"They are the masters at that" - Pep Guardiola points out a key area where Liverpool are better than Manchester City

As we enter the halfway point of the season, Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea have emerged as frontrunners in the Premier League title race.

After their thrilling 6-3 win against Leicester City on Boxing Day, City sit top of the league table, six points clear of both Liverpool and Chelsea, though the Reds have a game in hand.

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has often expressed his admiration for Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool in the past. Ahead of their game against Leicester, Guardiola insisted City were not on the same level as the Reds in one critical area.

Guardiola has claimed his squad is not as good as Liverpool in one area of their game, despite the fact that they are six points ahead of them at the top of the table.

Here's what he said:

“We cannot attack quicker. We are not Liverpool. They are masters at that, we are not. We don’t know what we have to do with that. We know we have to drive, to drive, to drive and to play with the ball. In the first half they (Newcastle) ran and created two or three chances. In the second half, more passes, more passes, more patience."

The former Barcelona manager added:

“Patience doesn’t mean lazy, slow. It’s the ball. If you have the ball, you are in order and everything is stable. Stability is the ball. It’s not about defending 40 metres behind or 40 metres up front, or high pressing, or defending, or long balls, or whatever. To be stable as a team, it’s the ball, no more than that.”

---

Liverpool, Manchester City and Chelsea are going neck and neck in the race to bag the Premier League title

The last few weeks have been full of turmoil for Chelsea. From six points clear of City at the top of the league to six points behind City, down to third, the Blues find themselves in a tricky situation.

Manchester City, however, have continued to power through the Premier League and have now won nine games in a row to take charge of the proceedings.

Liverpool, too, have been ruthless this season after an array of lackluster performances last year. The Reds drew 2-2 with resurgent Tottenham Hotspur on December 19 before staging a heroic comeback against Leicester City to reach the semi-finals of the EFL Cup.

Liverpool were slated to face Leeds United on Boxing Day, however, their clash was postponed owing to COVID-19 outbreak at Leeds. This comes after Klopp and Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson slammed the league for not looking after the players.

However, Liverpool's next few fixtures will undoubtedly test their credentials. The Reds take on Leicester City on December 29, before their game against Chelsea on January 2.

The game against Chelsea might end up deciding the fate of the two teams as a loss would push them further away from the top of the table.

Chelsea came back from a goal down to win 3-1 against Aston Villa on Boxing Day to keep their title challenge alive. Jorginho fired two goals from the spot, while Romelu Lukaku headed in another to earn crucial three points for the Blues.

Aston Villa manager Steven Gerrard was absent on the sidelines after testing positive for COVID-19.