Joe Cole believes defeat for Manchester City against Liverpool on Sunday will rule Pep Guardiola’s men out of the title race.
City have won six of the last seven Premier League titles to become the dominant force in English football, but are currently experiencing their worst-ever run of results under Guardiola having failed to win any of their last six games.
After losing five straight matches City threw away a three-goal lead on Tuesday to draw 3-3 with Feyenoord to continue their dismal run of form.
A loss at Anfield this weekend would leave the defending champions 11 points adrift of Arne Slot’s high-flying Reds, and Cole is convinced this would be too much of a deficit to claw back.
‘If they lose this weekend I think they are out of the title race,’ Cole told Mail Sport. ‘I just think 11 points will be too much to pull back even for this great side.
‘It’s what makes this game fascinating at the weekend. Liverpool are coming off the back of a great win so it’s going to be a great game.’
Manchester City have failed to win any of their last six matches across all competitions
The side are set to face Arne Slot’s high-flying Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday afternoon
Joe Cole believes champions City will be out the title race if they lose to the Reds this weekend
City looked imperious in the opening weeks of the season but have fallen away alarmingly over the past month, and Guardiola looked visibly distressed following his side’s midweek collapse against Feyenoord.
Cole admits it is difficult to pinpoint exactly why things have gone so wrong, but has backed Guardiola to eventually find the answers to get City back on top.
He added: ‘It’s incredible to look at. This team that’s been impenetrable and invincible for so many years and achieved so much and won so many trophies going through a difficult spell.
‘I’m looking at the players at the back and they’re all top, top players but the obvious thing to look at is Rodri coming out the side. He’s obviously a big influence but I think that’s been overstated. But I think they’ve missed a bit of physicality in midfield.
‘It’s very hard when you lose that air of invincibility as a team, your mentality, you can be 3-0 up at home and nothing seems safe. It’s a challenge. I’m excited to see what Pep does to get out of this.
‘I think he’s revolutionised the way we play football at our core and in our culture, and I think history tells us he finds a solution to all problems and I think he’ll figure this out.
‘I think that’s the motivation with him signing his new contract. When you’re a competitor like he is you want to prove yourself and I think he wants to show that he can navigate this club out of this predicament.’
Cole feels City are on the brink of dropping out of the title race, but he still expects Liverpool to be challenged as they go in search of a record-equalling 20th top-flight crown.
The 43-year-old has named his former club Chelsea as potential title contenders after starting the season strongly with Enzo Maresca at the helm.
Very few expected Chelsea to be in the title picture at the start of the season after they finished 12th and 6th respectively in their first two campaigns of the Todd Boehly era.
But the Blues have surprised many and currently sit in third spot, a point behind City and nine adrift of Liverpool.
Cole has tipped Chelsea to push Liverpool all the way if they can start to close the gap at the top between now and the end of the year.
‘I think if they can be at the turn of the year after the Christmas period, if they’re within six points I think they can mount a title challenge,’ Cole said.
Pep Guardiola has looked visibly distressed on the touchline, but Cole has backed the Spanish manager to eventually turn things around at City
Cole feels City are close to falling out of the title race, but is convinced his former club Chelsea are capable of challenging for major honours under Enzo Maresca
‘Because knowing the owners, I think they’ll go in and have a go again (in the January transfer window). But that is really remarkable that I’m saying that because there were times last year when you were searching for answers and we didn’t know where they’d end up.’
Juggling domestic and European duties has often been a problem for clubs over the years, but Cole has claimed it has actually worked in Chelsea’s favour this season as it has allowed Maresca to build a squad that is capable of challenging on all fronts.
‘The best thing in Chelsea’s favour is playing in the Europa Conference League,’ he continued.
‘There is such a disparity in the level that they’re able to keep all their players fit and ready, so if they suffer injuries like they have already a little bit, players are coming in and they’re ready to hit the ground running. You wouldn’t be able to do that if they were in the Champions League and maybe even the Europa League and still compete.
‘There’s a lot of positives and it’s allowing players like (Mykailo) Mudryk, (Kiernan) Dewsbury-Hall, (Benoit) Badiashile to all get game time, all develop, all learn, because they need games. Everyone is improving, the manager, the players, everything is calmer. There’s an opportunity to get back to the top.’
Football’s Greatest Eras: Could It Be Magic with Joe Cole and Ashley Cole, brought to you by Carling, the official sponsor of the Emirates FA Cup and Adobe Women’s FA Cup. You can watch the show on YouTube and Spotify or listen to it wherever you get your podcasts.
