Manchester City CEO Ferran Soriano has warned Liverpool that they will be aiming to continue their domination of the Premier League title at the expense of the Reds next season.
The Sky Blues have been all-but immovable on the domestic front having won four out of the last five league crowns - with Pep Guardiola assembling a hugely impressive side at his disposal at the Etihad Stadium. The only other winner of the league was of course Liverpool but besides that, they have fallen just short of overcoming City on a handful of occasions.
On the other hand, similar frustrations are also felt at the Etihad with Guardiola failing to claim a Champions League title in his time with the club. Liverpool in the meantime have reached three finals, lifting the famous trophy against Premier League rivals Tottenham Hotspur in 2019.
Despite that, Soriano has made it clear that City will continue to prioritise winning the Premier League title ahead of anything else.
Speaking on the Dr Football Podcast, he said: “We don’t make this [the Champions League] the core of our objectives because of what I said; luck plays a role in the Champions League because there are a handful of games that you can have a bad game in, in the semi-finals and you’re out.
“Whoever wins the league is the best team in the league. We say internally, ‘The league is our bread and butter. This is what we do for a living; the league'.
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“The Champions League is an additional trophy that we want but we know that it might be subject to a bit of luck so we’re not obsessed.”
On the topic of fortune, Soriano has used the most recent Champions League winners Real Madrid as a prime example over how luck can play a role in becoming European champions with his side having fallen foul of the Spanish side last season.
He continued: "People say now about the success that Real Madrid have had in the last years and I think it’s fair to say that there’s been a bit of luck.
"Maybe I could say that they deserved to lose against PSG, against Chelsea, against us, against Liverpool. But, people do not remember that in the 90s, 80s, Real Madrid had a fantastic team, one of the best in history with Butragueno and they couldn’t win.
"They were knocked out of the Champions (League). We’re patient, this is not an obsession, we will win it at the right time.”
Heading into the 2022/23 season, both Liverpool and Man City have bolstered their options greatly as they continue their respective pursuits of silverware. City of course secured the signing of Erling Haaland, whilst the Reds made a move for Benfica’s Darwin Nunez in what could potentially become a club record deal.
