Man City boss Pep Guardiola makes new Liverpool Premier League title admission

Pep Guardiola objected to the idea that he could not enjoy the title race as Manchester City look to retain their Premier League crown.

Dropped points against Southampton and Tottenham this year have allowed Liverpool to close the gap to three points at the top of the table, with many now expecting the tight race to the finish that Guardiola has been predicting for some time.

City can stretch the lead to six points this weekend if they beat an under-pressure Everton side at the weekend, with Liverpool involved in the Carabao Cup final. But the two rivals have not been as close as they are now since early-December.

Despite the increased competition, Guardiola is still looking forward to the challenge of trying to win the league — a competition he holds as the toughest because of the standard of opposition and the need to prove yourself as the best over nine months.

"Why should it not be exciting for me? Maybe if we had 25 points more than Liverpool but this is another world, not this one. I'm more than delighted to be in the position that we are and we want to defend it, attack better and win games," he said.

"The Premier League is so tough. I saw the game yesterday and how Tottenham played last game. Every game is so difficult.

" That's why the biggest achievement that we achieved in these last years in this club, because it is quite similar the Premier League now to what we did in previous seasons.

"The teams and managers are so intense, so good. That's why it is a big challenge but I could not expect another. When we started a season I could not expect that it would not be like right now it is.

"I will say I'm more than grateful that we're getting better than maybe I thought at the beginning of the season. Try to