Pep Guardiola accused of playing 'strategic game' amid Man City's horror run of six games without win as champions prepare to face Liverpool

Guardiola is aware of the almighty task that faces his side if they lose to Liverpool on Sunday. Defeat would open up an 11-point gap between the two clubs, a seismic deficit to recover even this early on in the campaign.

When asked after the defeat to Tottenham last weekend whether the title race is over if City leave Anfield empty-handed, Guardiola replied: "Yep. In terms of Liverpool winning, winning, yep."

That comment should be taken with a pinch of salt, according to former Liverpool forward Ryan Babel, who believes the 53-year-old is simply trying to shift the pressure away from his side.

"Pep’s just playing a strategic game. He knows he has to put the pressure on Liverpool, and then you will see City giving twice as much gas to try and beat them. Pep is not a person who gives up that easily," Babel told Instant Casino.

"It will just be a strategic chess move for him, and by making those comments, he knows that he will not get all the questions about the title race anymore if he does lose it, so then he can focus in peace to try and come back and compete.

"He wants to put all the pressure on Liverpool. It’s just a game, it won’t decide who wins the Premier League title, but of course, if Liverpool win then it will definitely deliver City a significant knock."

Guardiola backtracked on last weekend's comment when he met the media on Friday, saying: "It doesn't matter what happens on Sunday. It will be more difficult if we don't take a result on Sunday but there are many more games to play."

City can go a long way to overcoming their doubters by shocking Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday afternoon and reviving their title pursuit.