LONDON, Feb 15, (V7N) – Pep Guardiola has taken a swipe at Premier League leaders Liverpool, reminding them they cannot match Manchester City’s record 100-point tally, even if they go on to win the title.

City’s hopes of a fifth consecutive English crown have crumbled, leaving them 16 points adrift of Liverpool in fifth place. Arne Slot’s side are currently seven points ahead of second-placed Arsenal, chasing a 20th English top-flight title that would equal Manchester United’s record.

Yet, even if Liverpool lift the Premier League trophy, they cannot surpass the 100-point record set by City in their 2017-18 title-winning season.

Responding to criticism of City’s struggles after their 3-2 Champions League loss to Real Madrid, Guardiola mocked Liverpool's inability to break his team’s records.

"We took all the records in England. Who would do 100 points now in modern football? I'm waiting," Guardiola said on Friday.

"Or four in a row? I'm waiting - with clubs like Bournemouth, Fulham, and Wolves that you have to play. The standards, we dictated. Have you seen Liverpool this season? They cannot do 100 points already - 99 but not 100."

While Guardiola acknowledges his side has fallen behind their rivals this season, he pointed to fatigue, injuries, and squad depth as key reasons.

"We deserve to have a bad season. We deserve not to be like we were. They are human beings, it can happen. We weren't consistent, and we haven't had the players at their best," Guardiola admitted.

The City boss also noted that the Premier League has evolved, with stronger competition across the board.

"I asked ‘Gundo’ (Ilkay Gundogan) yesterday, ‘Two years ago you were here, you were one year in Barcelona, and you come back here, did you see changes in the Premier League?’ He said massively, the difference was unbelievable. It’s the truth. The teams are much, much, much better in all departments."

One of City’s biggest issues, Guardiola explained, is that his team no longer dominates games in the same way.

"I accept when the opponents have the ball, I'm going to suffer," he said. "But now we are suffering when we have the ball. It never happened before, and, right now, I cannot change it. We are suffering because we are human beings."

City host Newcastle on Saturday, hoping to keep pace in the race for a Champions League spot.

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