Manchester City head coach Josep Guardiola stressed the importance of winning at the start of the new Premier League season in order to get on the right path to the title race.

Manchester City managed to win the first two rounds of the tournament at the expense of West Ham United 0-2 and Bournemouth 4-0 and top the table of the English Premier League with 6 points.

“We can’t forget that when Liverpool won the Premier League two years ago, we lost five points in our first five games,” Guardiola said.

He added: “It’s very important not to lose in the first period of the English Premier League, because in two seasons we lost seven points in the first five games and the last five games.”

He summed up: “We always lose points at this stage of the season, before returning to win, we have a long time ahead, this year is the World Cup, the season can be different, it is important to start strong and keep it going. Now we have a few days and we will prepare for the meeting with Newcastle United.

Eddie Khoury