Gary Neville names Manchester City’s biggest threat for next season

Pep Guardiola’s team became Premier League champions for the fifth time in six seasons at the weekend following Arsenal’s 1-0 loss to Nottingham Forest.

The only Premier League team capable of giving Manchester City a run for their money next season is Liverpool, according to Gary Neville.

2022/23 has been a dismal campaign for Liverpool. The Reds are almost certain to miss out on a Champions League spot for next season, sitting three points outside the top four in the Premier League table with only one game to spare.

Yet, over the past six Premier League seasons, Jurgen Klopp’s side is the only team to have beaten City to the crown – once in 2019/20. Liverpool also finished a point behind the Citizens in the 2018/19 and 2021/22 title races.

“Manchester City’s players here have real quality, that goes without saying,” Neville said on Sky Sports.

“But in the most difficult moments of the season in the Premier League, they’re able to put a run together and come through difficult challenges. That takes a lot. It takes a manager who can guide them through moments and bring them that stability. The other clubs have got to look at that same model.

“It happened for many years under Sir Alex Ferguson. It happened with Liverpool under Bob Paisley and Bill Shankly, under great managers like Arsene Wenger at Arsenal. You’ve got to be a great manager and you’ve got to have a great bunch of players to be able to do it consistently like they have. The other teams have got to aspire to that.”

The former Manchester United defender added: “At this moment in time the one who have proven it over the last six years is Liverpool.

“I know Arsenal have run City close this year but the only team that I can say at the moment that have demonstrated that they can go close to Guardiola’s City is Jurgen Klopp and Liverpool.

“I know they’ve dropped well below their standards this season but you don’t know whether they will get back to those standards next season, because they’ve proven they can do that before.”