Ex-Manchester United captain Roy Keane still believes that City will retain the Premier League title this season.

Speaking on the Stick To Football podcast, Keane said he has been disappointed by the quality of football on show in the English top flight recently but he still feels Pep Guardiola’s side are the team to beat:

“I think the standard of the Premier League hasn’t been great the last month or two. I think some of the goals we are watching at weekends are so poor, the lack of quality.”

“Man City are excellent, there’s no doubt about it. But I think the other teams need to sort themselves out, I really do. I still can’t see beyond City, even if they have some sort of blip, they are strong enough.”

City’s patchy form is a concern

While City are top of the table after 12 games, they only have a narrow lead over the likes of Liverpool, Arsenal and Tottenham.

Dropping points in the 4-4 draw against Chelsea last time out did not help matters, and some fans have been concerned with the way Pep Guardiola’s side have been performing, especially defensively.

The Cityzens are certainly in better shape than they were heading into the October international break. At that time, they had lost 3 games in the space of 11 days, but things are still by no means perfect.

Guardiola’s men face a big test at the end of this month

City take on second-place Liverpool in their next fixture. The fact that it is at home will give them a significant advantage, especially as it is a Saturday lunchtime kickoff right after international fixtures.

If they can win against the Reds and begin to build a gap between themselves and the chasing pack, it would reinforce the belief that they are title favourites.

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