Manchester City goalkeeper Ederson has downplayed talk of Liverpool no longer being a force to be reckoned with, insisting Jurgen Klopp's side remains full of 'world-class players'.
Sunday afternoon brought an end to what has been an extremely disappointing season by the Reds' standards, which has seen the team fail to claim any silverware in addition to finishing outside the four place. Manchester City, meanwhile, clinched a third consecutive Premier League title.
Liverpool will be eager to be challenging the Sky Blues at the top end of the table once again next term, though will likely require quality additions to the squad to make this a possibility. In the end it was Arsenal who ran City closest to claiming to spot, eventually finishing five points adrift of City.
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While the success of Mikel Arteta's men took many by surprise, it did not shock Ederson. Liverpool, in fifth position, saw people's pre-season predictions off the mark, though City's No.1 is aware of the damage Klopp's side are still capable of causing.
"Well, we already witnessed last season that Arsenal had huge potential, given that Mikel Arteta is an amazing manager and Arsenal have top young talent. Truth be told, we at City were expecting Arsenal to do well this season - we knew it could happen. Arteta can read the game perfectly," the 29-year-old told FourFourTwo.
"Liverpool are having an atypical season and haven't been able to play well consistently, although that doesn't mean they're not a great team with world-class players. They are."
Getting the better of Liverpool at club level has been a task relished by Pep Guardiola's players in recent times, though there is a one battle Ederson is losing. Unable to displace Alisson between the sticks for Brazil, the City shot-stopper was left on the bench at the 2018 World Cup, 2019 Copa America and 2022 World Cup, with the exception of one group stage appearance in Qatar.
On how he views playing second fiddle to the Reds' standout performer of the 2022/23 season, Ederson responded: "I'm a persistent person who knows to wait for my chance to come. A similar scenario happened to me in Portugal, at Rio Ave, then at Benfica. Now it's happening with the Brazil national team, but that doesn't impact my work ethic or dedication.
"Regardless of being a starter or not, I always practise as if I'll be in the starting XI and having the mindset that helped me to be ready when the opportunity came up at Rio Ave and Benfica. I have to be patient. It's down to the manager and the backroom staff to pick what team they think is best for each match."
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