Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola believes Liverpool will be one of the challengers for the Premier League title next season.
The Reds performed woefully last campaign as they finished 5th in the top flight – 22 points off eventual winners Man City as they missed out on Champions League football.
Pep Guadiola’s side will come up against Arsenal in this Sunday’s Community Shield and both teams have a chance to claim their first piece of silverware.
Guardiola said: “Arsenal, with Arsene Wenger, instilled the club in that position and I’m very happy that he got a statue at the Emirates Stadium. He changed many things in English football and his influence was massive. The style of culture he brought in the last years dropped and Mikel brings them again in the position Arsenal was all the time.
“Everybody knows that, when the season starts I say the same thing: that is my feeling. There is not one or two, there are a lot of teams that are going to fight for everything and the challenge is massive for us. How we can grow as a team mentally and football-wise to sustain that level, it is almost impossible.
“You can’t do it more than we want, but the challenge is that. How hungry we still are, how much desire we still have to defend what we won and we will see during the process of eleven months, in the lower moments we will have, what we have to be.”
Jurgen Klopp is keen on revamping his squad following the exit of several players including Roberto Firmino, Naby Keita, James Milner, and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.
Jordan Henderson and Fabinho have also left Anfield after completing their moves to Saudi Arabia.
The Merseysiders have already brought in Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai, however, they are looking to add at least two midfielders and a left-sided centre-back to their squad before the window closes in September.
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