Sky Sports pundit Roy Keane believes Manchester City have an ace up their sleeve when it comes to winning the Premier League this season.

While he does rate fellow contenders Liverpool and Chelsea, Keane feels manager Pep Guardiola could prove to be the determining factor in the Citizens retaining the title:

“I’d never bet against Man City now, I’ve just learned my lesson from last year. It doesn’t necessarily mean Liverpool or Chelsea can’t pip them to the title, but I think Pep is the man, I look at all of the managers I think Pep is the man… People say he’s got the best players, but you still have to manage them, you still have to find a style of play and if you’re going to pick a team to watch it’s going to be Manchester City aren’t you.”

It’s hardly a hot take from Keane but he is spot on in terms of Guardiola and his ability to win titles. The Spaniard may have come unstuck in one-off games in Europe in recent campaigns but his style of football has been proven to work, time and time again, over the course of a domestic season.

Guardiola has won a staggering 31 major honours as a manager, dating all the way back to when he lifted his first title as Barcelona B head coach in 2008. He is a born winner and with a three-point lead at Christmas, you would back his City side to build on that in the second half of the campaign.