Manuel Pellegrini

says

Liverpool

blew their chance of winning the title last season because they could not handle the pressure of being top of the league.

Brendan Rodgers’s team beat Manchester City 3-2 at Anfield on 13 April to give themselves a seven-point lead over City with four matches left, although City had two games in hand.

But after Liverpool lost and drew one of their remaining games and City dropped only one point from the last available 18, Pellegrini’s team were crowned champions.

With Liverpool at the Etihad Stadium on Monday in an early-season showdown, Pellegrini said their inability to deal with the pressure of leading cost them the title.

Important thing

“I was not surprised [we triumphed] because I was absolutely convinced when I said the words that I said: ‘Careful, it’s not finished.’ Because they have to play five games more [actually four], and the pressure when you are at the top of the table is increasing after every game.

“The most important thing for us was not to think about Liverpool but think about what we had to do and we had to win the five games and we did. That’s why it was not a surprise. The surprise was that we lost the game 3-2 because we played better.

“I can’t talk about what happened with Liverpool at that moment but from my experience when you are finishing the season the pressure increases every week for every team, not only for Liverpool. That’s why I was absolutely sure they weren’t going to win the [four] games that they had to play. It was so important that our team did it.”

Pellegrini is unsure how Liverpool’s collapse last season will affect them.

Last season

“I cannot know what happened inside Liverpool or if they will be affected by last season. I repeat that my way of thinking is that last season is finished. For our team it is finished. I suppose that also for Liverpool it is finished.”

He also addressed Luis Suarez’s departure. “It’s difficult to answer after one game but maybe they will always miss Suarez because he is a very important player,” Pellegrini said, “but they have bought a lot of important new players.

"I always say to the players that games are games of six points, especially when you play at home with the most important squads of the Premier League.

“We are just starting the season and maybe we don’t have our whole squad in the best fitness but I think this week we worked very hard and very well.”