Kevin De Bruyne is the latest Manchester City player to stress that Pep Guardiola’s side is not currently focused on Liverpool or the Premier League title race. However, the Belgian midfielder hasn’t entirely dismissed the possibility of a dramatic comeback by the reigning champions.
City are currently in fourth place, 12 points behind Liverpool, who also have a game in hand. Following a dominant 6-0 win over Ipswich Town, City have gone unbeaten in their last five league matches, marking a vital turnaround after a poor run between late October and Boxing Day, where they won only once and lost nine of 13 games in all competitions.
So far this season, City have lost six Premier League matches and drawn five, dropping a total of 28 points. In comparison, they only dropped 33 points throughout the entire 2019/20 season when finishing second to Liverpool.
With a maximum of 86 points still achievable, City would need near-perfect form and a significant collapse from Liverpool to stand any chance of reclaiming the title.
After the Ipswich victory, De Bruyne acknowledged City’s current position, stating: “I don’t think we need to look at Liverpool for the moment. We just need to do a better job, get more wins, and focus on our big game in Paris. We know we’ve dropped too many points, and the goal is to win as many games as possible.”
City’s margin for error is minimal, and their struggle to stay in the title race appears to be an uphill battle.
