Martin Keown Believes Shock Announcement By PL Rivals Will Have “Huge” Impact On City’s Title Chances

Martin Keown believes that Manchester City will come under “huge pressure” following the news of Jurgen Klopp’s impending departure from Liverpool at the end of the season. The former Arsenal defender suggests that Klopp’s announcement could galvanise the Reds as they strive to win the Premier League title, potentially causing problems for the reigning champions.

Keown draws a comparison with his former manager at Arsenal, Arsene Wenger, who he says never made huge announcements but never hid anything either, which often brought out more from the rest of the group. He believes the energy drawn from Klopp’s announcement will put Pep Guardiola and City under significant pressure.

Currently, City are 5 points behind Liverpool at the top of the table, and Keown acknowledges that they will have to perform well in the second half of the campaign to have a chance at finishing first. He suggests that Klopp’s announcement has made the task of overhauling the current league leaders more difficult for Guardiola and City, but it remains to be seen whether that will be the case.

However, Guardiola and some of his players have experience in dealing with pressure from previous epic title races. They have been involved in tight contests in the 2018/2019 and 2021/2022 seasons and came out on top on both occasions. Guardiola seems to thrive under such pressure, and there is a possibility that he can spoil Klopp’s farewell and lead City to another trophy.

In conclusion, Keown believes that Klopp’s impending departure will have a significant impact on the title race, putting City under immense pressure as they attempt to catch up with Liverpool. Guardiola’s experience in handling pressure and the team’s past success in close title races could work in their favor as they aim to overcome the challenge posed by Klopp and the Reds.