Former Arsenal player Paul Merson has criticised Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola, insisting he is not the best manager in the world.
Manchester City trail Liverpool by 22 points in the Premier League table with 25 games of the season gone.
City struggled to cope with the loss of Aymeric Laporte and Leroy Sane to long-term injuries at the beginning of the season and are guaranteed to finish the campaign with at least eight fewer points than they won the title with last term.
However, despite having guided City to back-to-back Premier League titles in the previous two seasons, Guardiola has come in for stinging criticism from Merson.
"They're 22 points behind. Come on, let's be honest, he's the only manager in the world who can get away with it because he's 'the best manager in the world'," Merson told Sky Sports.
"Klopp says he's not going to watch the game at Shrewsbury, he gets pelters. He (Guardiola) is 22 points behind and it's like 'ah don't worry, you're the best manager in the world'.
"How is he the best manager in the world if he is 22 points behind? What he (Klopp) has done, you've got to move that way. He's moved forward. He's not gone backwards.
"What he (Klopp) has done, he's gone that way (forward). He's brought in extra players in. That team (Liverpool) hasn't been the same, he's gone forward. Man City haven't, have they?
"We all knew they needed a centre-back, Kompany went. He didn't know Laporte was going to get injured, nobody knows that but Kompany has gone."
