Man City ‘much better’ than last year: Pep

LONDON: Pep Guardiola says Manchester City are playing “much better” than during last year’s record-breaking campaign and his players should not be regarded as losers even if Liverpool pip them to the Premier League title.

City are favourites to retain their crown after Saturday’s 1-0 win at Bournemouth and Sunday’s goalless Merseyside derby left them a point ahead of Jurgen Klopp’s Reds with nine matches remaining.

“In the way we play, we play much, much better (than last season),” Guardiola said. “Everybody knows exactly what we have to do, everybody helps each other. And when this happens, we can compete and if we lose, we lose, but no regrets.

“I know in our society just the first one has the credit and the second one is an absolute loser. But it is impossible to feel that about my players, it’s impossible.”City smashed a host of records on the way to becoming champions in 2017/18, including amassing 100 points and scoring 106 goals.

Despite failing to replicate that level of dominance this term, they have overturned a seven-point deficit in recent months to wrestle top spot from Liverpool.Victory at Bournemouth was their fifth in a row in the league and secured with 82 percent possession and by preventing the hosts from registering a shot at goal.

Guardiola admits his team could easily have fallen out of title contention and feels their current position is even more remarkable because a League Cup success and progress to the FA Cup quarter-finals has resulted in a far busier fixture schedule than Liverpool.

“Of course we want to win the Premier League, I feel the players show me every single day they want to win it,” he said.“But we have played nine or 10 games more than Liverpool. It’s a lot of minutes in our legs in all competitions.

“In spite of that, still we are there and that’s why I’m happy. I would prefer it to be like last season’s position — to be 12 points in front — but that is an exceptional situation.” ‘Ask Julia Roberts who should coach Real’: Real Madrid “has always been more courted than Julia Roberts”, said coach Santiago Solari on Monday about rumours of a possible return of Jose Mourinho.

Solari took over earlier this season and has a contract until 2021, but has just lost two Clasicos at home. He was speaking at a press conference ahead of Tuesday’s meeting with Ajax at the Bernabeu in the Champions League, a competition Real have won the last three years and is the club’s only hope of a trophy this season.

Mourinho managed Real for three stormy seasons from 2010 to 2013. Over the weekend he was a guest pundit on Qatar-based beIN Sport where he analysed Real’s latest loss to Barcelona.

“Return to a club that I have been before?” said Mourinho, who had two stints at Chelsea and was fired by Manchester United in December. “If I think the right club, the right structure, the right ambitions, I will have no problem at all.”

“I think it’s really a reason of pride when a club where you worked before wants you back,” said Mourinho.Solari responded with a joke about Roberts at his press conference on Monday. When asked whether the actress would prefer himself or Mourinho, the Argentine smiled.“Good question,” he said. “You should ask her.”­