Subscribe to Miguel Delaney’s Reading the Game newsletter for free and receive it directly in your email inbox.
Join Miguel Delaney’s complimentary weekly newsletter.
Pep Guardiola thinks it makes other Premier League teams uneasy when Manchester City breaks into the top ranks.
In 2008, Manchester City was acquired by Abu Dhabi owners and Sir Alex Ferguson of Manchester United referred to them as “noisy neighbours”. With the addition of Guardiola as manager in 2016, City has steadily risen from being a small team to becoming the dominant powerhouse in English soccer.
In five of the past six seasons, City has won the Premier League trophy, with a streak of three consecutive wins. Their highlight was last season when they matched Ferguson’s 1998-99 team’s achievement of winning three major titles.
Guardiola was amazed by the reversal of fortunes for the clubs leading up to the Manchester derby on Sunday at Old Trafford. A win for City could widen the gap between the two teams to nine points.
“According to Guardiola, Sir Alex’s assessment was accurate at the time. City was not a strong competitor, but rather in the mid to lower ranks. United and Arsenal, being the wealthiest teams at the time, were the main contenders while City was present in the competition.”
“Afterwards, Sheikh Mansour and Khaldoon (Al Mubarak) took over and made an investment. Sir Alex and I, who were both in Barcelona at the time, could not have predicted this.”
“We were not part of the elite before, but now we are. This may cause discomfort in many ways. However, it is our current reality and we aim to remain in this position for as long as we can.”
Since the conclusion of the 2012-13 season, Manchester United has not been able to secure a league title, despite their efforts under managers Jose Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who both led the team to second place finishes.
.
Our greatest competitors have been Liverpool, pushing us to constantly improve and become a stronger team in every aspect. They have posed a unique challenge unlike any other team before.
Guardiola firmly believes that United will always be considered a top English club, but he acknowledges that the chance of reclaiming the success they experienced under Ferguson is unlikely due to the increasing competition from other teams.
In the past ten years, both teams have followed similar paths. Guardiola has acknowledged that he does not view United as their top competitors – he believes that title belongs to Liverpool.
When asked if United could reclaim dominance, Guardiola replied: “Possibly not in the same manner as Sir Alex Ferguson, as there are now more teams and talented managers in the league.”
“Although it may not be executed in the same manner, when Manchester United makes wise decisions through collaboration with the hierarchy, sports director, managers, and players, the team consistently receives attention and coverage all day.”
Their reputation and prestige are ever-present, waiting to be recognized.
“There was one year with Ole that was close. But Liverpool have been our biggest rivals – they made us challenge higher and higher and helped make us a better team in all departments. They challenged us like no other team has done before.”
Last season, Erik ten Hag guided United to a third-place finish and also secured victories in the Carabao Cup. They were also runners-up to City in the FA Cup final. However, their performance has been inconsistent this season with four losses in nine games.
It took Guardiola some time to achieve consistent success with City, as he finished in third place during his first season as manager in 2016-17.
Guardiola stated that it requires time for a team to achieve success. He also acknowledged that Manchester United has the capability to win multiple games consecutively, which could potentially put them in first place.
“Allow the manager to fulfill the responsibilities that were given to me in my first season, when we did not achieve victory. It is important to give managers time to succeed.”
Source: independent.co.uk
