Pep lauds City 'legends'

LONDON • The sheer doggedness and quality of Liverpool makes Manchester City's fourth English Premier League title in five years all the more sweeter.

Their 3-2 comeback win over Aston Villa on Sunday ensured Pep Guardiola's side pipped the Reds to the trophy by a point on the final weekend of the season, just like in the 2018-19 campaign.

Paying tribute to their closest rivals, the Catalan hailed his "legends" after fending off the titanic challenge and denying Jurgen Klopp's side from claiming an unprecedented quadruple.

"I want to congratulate Liverpool Football Club for this incredible battle for the last years, especially this one too," Guardiola said.

"The magnitude of our achievement is because of the magnitude of this rival. Never ever I had a rival like Liverpool in my career as a football player or manager.

"That makes me feel more proud about these players, about this organisation because we know exactly which opponent we faced. These guys (City players) are legends. When you win in this country four times in five years, it is because these guys are so special. They will be remembered forever."

The title meant City did not end up without a trophy for the first time since 2017 and makes up for the disappointment over their Champions League semi-final exit to Real Madrid.

With Erling Haaland set to join in the summer for £51 million (S$88 million), the English champions will next season be expected to renew an assault on the European Cup, a trophy the club have never won and which has been long coveted by their Abu Dhabi owners since the 2008 takeover.

As the record 13-time winners, Real know what it takes to land the Champions League title and the City boss joked he had turned to the La Liga winners for advice following repeated failures.

But for now, Guardiola will savour their title-winning moment - with their sixth Premier League title, his team have overtaken Chelsea and are second on the all-time list behind the 13 won by Manchester United since the competition's inception in 1992-93.

"I called Real Madrid and they gave me good advice!" he said. "No explanation in Madrid, no explanation today. It's momentum. Sometimes, it's nice to live these kinds of situations. I've the feeling this will help us to be stronger next season.

"Maybe we need a little bit more time (in the Champions League) but every second that passes after this Premier League, we realise that four Premier Leagues in five years in this country is probably the best achievement we've done in our careers. It is incredible."

For Liverpool counterpart Klopp, the German could not help but reflect on how hard his side had pushed City and how close his players had come to the quadruple - more than any other English club.

Referencing his two last-day failures to win promotion to the Bundesliga during his time as Mainz boss, he said: "Finishing second is the story of my life. I'm still the record holder for not getting promoted in Germany with the highest points tally. You need to get more points than any other teams, but we didn't do that. Ninety-two points is absolutely incredible. We wanted it all, but now it's OK."

Despite Klopp's lament, he has already led Liverpool to FA Cup and League Cup glory this term and can win the treble if they beat Real in the Champions League final on Saturday at the Stade de France.

The chance to win their seventh European Cup, placing them second on the all-time list alongside AC Milan, will assuage any pain at Anfield and their narrow miss to City has given his side an extra edge heading into Paris.

On the final, Klopp said: "This season is absolutely incredible and it ends (on Saturday) obviously. And there, we will try absolutely everything. Losing the league increased the desire to put it right, it increased the desire."

He also vowed Liverpool would continue to give City a stern examination next term, saying we will "build a team again and go again".

True to those words, the Reds yesterday augmented their squad after confirming the signing of Fabio Carvalho from Fulham for £5 million. The Portugal Under-21 midfielder was one of the Cottagers' key players with 11 goals and eight assists to help them win the Championship and promotion to the top flight next season.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, REUTERS