Jose Mourinho believes the first four games of the season have shown that Manchester City and Liverpool have to be considered favourites for the Premier League title.

When asked a few weeks ago about the title race, Mourinho suggested that even City’s B team could be in contention, but he has since decided to clarify his comments, believing Tottenham and Arsenal could push the top two if one of them comes out on top in the North London derby this afternoon:

“I think both (need the points). We were having a laugh at Old Trafford in the first fixture of the season. I was having the joke of Man City B, Spurs, Liverpool and Man City.”

“Just three or four weeks later, we understand clearly Liverpool and Man City are going to finish first and second, or second and first. Can Tottenham or Arsenal be there? They push for it, I think today is very important for them to win. If they don’t do it, the distance just after four weeks is the distance that impresses a little bit.”

With Liverpool top of the table and City just two points behind heading into the international break, everything does look set for a two-horse race once again.

It’s still too early in the season to make a definitive statement on the title, but it seems clear that Mourinho’s former teams, Chelsea and Manchester United, won’t be in the mix after dropping points against Sheffield United and Southampton respectively this weekend.