Gary Neville has predicted Liverpool to come back and provide Manchester City's biggest challenge for the Premier League title next season, following confirmation of a third straight title on Saturday evening.
City were confirmed as Premier League champions following Arsenal's 1-0 loss at Nottingham Forest, with consecutive defeats leaving the Gunners four points short with just one game to play. Pep Guardiola and his squad watched the game together at the club's training complex, with the guarantee of top-spot sparking wild celebrations.
A relentless run of 11 straight wins heaped the pressure on Arsenal, with Mikel Arteta's side falling to the same fate as the likes of Liverpool and Manchester United before them. The Blues will fancy themselves to challenge for the title again next season, and former Reds defender Neville believes it will be Jurgen Klopp as the closest challenger once again.
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Asked who has the best chance of challenging City next season, Neville said: "The team that got the alignment of quality and mentality.
"Manchester City’s players here have real quality, that goes without saying. But in the most difficult moments of the season in the Premier League they’re able to put a run together and come through difficult challenges. That takes a lot. It takes a manager who can guide them through moments and bring them that stability. The other clubs have got to look at that same model.
"It happened for many years under Sir Alex Ferguson. It happened with Liverpool under Bob Paisley and Bill Shankly, under great managers like Arsene Wenger at Arsenal. You’ve got to be a great manager and you’ve got to have a great bunch of players to be able to do it consistently like they have. The other teams have got to aspire to that.
"At this moment in time the one who have proven it over the last six years is Liverpool. I know Arsenal have run City close this year but the only team that I can say at the moment that have demonstrated that they can go close to Guardiola’s City is Jurgen Klopp and Liverpool.
"I know they’ve dropped well below their standards this season but you don’t know whether they will get back to those standards next season, because they’ve proven they can do that before."
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