Manuel Pellegrini Comments on Pressure Manchester City Face as EPL Table Leaders

Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini relishes being at the top of the Premier League standings as he feels there is no added pressure that comes with being the team everyone is aiming for.

Speaking to the Manchester Evening News' James Robson, Pellegrini thinks his team are always favourites to win every match they enter, irrespective of where they sit in the standings:

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I think that for me there is never pressure to be at the top of the table. You always want to be top of the table because it depends on just what you can do.

If you are in another position, you have to depend on what those teams can do. We are top of the table and will continue in that sense.

It doesn’t matter what happens, we are always the favourites. If we are at the top of the table or not at the top of the table, if you read or hear, we are always the team to beat.

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Manchester City have enjoyed a fine start to the 2015-16 campaign and currently share the Premier League lead with Arsenal, with the Citizens holding the edge thanks to a better goal difference.

They've lost just two Premier League matches all season and have been in sensational form of late, despite missing Sergio Aguero and David Silva for long stretches due to injury. City will host Liverpool on Saturday, handing the team another opportunity to impress against one of England's top sides.

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In Europe, City have already qualified for the next round of the UEFA Champions League, meaning the Citizens can now turn their full attention to the Premier League for the time being. By all accounts, City's season is going exactly to plan, which is good news for Pellegrini.

The Chilean's position was under threat at the end of last season after another campaign brought more embarrassment than success in Europe, but per Goal's Sam Lee, he has done everything possible to keep Bayern Munich manager Pep Guardiola from taking his job:

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Pep Guardiola is said to be the man waiting in the wings. Just as Pellegrini put up with the spectre of Mourinho during his sole season in charge in Madrid, he now is dogged by the shadow of the iconic Bayern Munich boss.

But, quietly, he has come out fighting. Many expected him to be sacked at the end of last season, but he rode out talks with the club's hierarchy and even signed a new one-year extension on the eve of the current campaign. "For a dead man walking, not bad," he quipped, surprisingly, as City started with four wins out of four. The run has continued and they are firm favourites for the title.

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Pellegrini understands pressure better than most, as Manchester City presents an extremely competitive environment to work in. The club is wildly ambitious, investing huge sums of money in the transfer market with an eye on Champions League glory.

Last summer, both Kevin De Bruyne and Raheem Sterling moved to the Etihad for giant wads of cash, and both have hit the ground running—a testament to Pellegrini's ability to communicate with new players.

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Saturday's clash will be a tricky one, as Liverpool have looked rejuvenated since Jurgen Klopp took over from Brendan Rodgers as Reds manager.

The visitors press very high up the pitch and chase every ball, which should open up space for the likes of De Bruyne and Sterling but will also put tremendous pressure on the City back four.

But, as ever, City are the clear favourites to win, and Pellegrini wouldn't have it any other way.

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