Pep Guardiola has no problem with Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s desire to “knock Manchester City off” their perch – because that is now Manchester United’s reality.
United were the dominant force in both Manchester and the Premier League for years prior to City’s recent ascent under Guardiola. The Spaniard has won five league titles during his tenure and guided City to a historic treble last year. United, in contrast, have won just won trophy during the same six-year period.
There is optimism at Old Trafford that better times are on the horizon after Ratcliffe formally acquired a 27.7 per cent stake in his boyhood club this week. The Ineos chief immediately laid out his ambitions: one of which is to usurp Manchester City.
Ratcliffe’s words are eerily similar to those of Sir Alex Ferguson, who once outlined his desire to halt Liverpool’s dominance of the domestic game. He went on to do just that – and Guardiola believes United could enjoy a similar renaissance under Ratcliffe.
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When he was asked about said comments in his press conference ahead of this weekend’s match with Bournemouth, Guardiola responded: “It’s the truth! As (soon) as the teams admit it, they will be closer to us. If they want to deny it for things that are not the reality then it’s their problem. It’s not our problem.
“When I’ve been below teams I’ve always admired them and thought about what we need to do to be close, to challenge them. If they want to be judged on things they are comfortable with for one day they will not arrive where we are now.
“When we were below and United were winning, we were watching them, admiring them. We wanted to learn from them. The period of Sir Alex Ferguson – the generation with Roy Keane, David Beckham, Gary Neville – and all those big, big players, Rio Ferdinand – I’m pretty sure City admired and thought ‘We want to be there’. Now we are there.
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“That’s why, for these type of comments, that I have the feeling that they will be back.” Despite his prediction that Ratcliffe’s arrival will trigger an upturn in United’s fortunes, Guardiola insists he is not worried by such a prospect. He added: “It’s not about (being) worried. I’m pretty sure with Sir Jim Ratcliffe and the other people that United are going to take a step forward.
“I feel that they know exactly what they have to do, appoint the people they need to appoint with their experience in the business world to make projects better.
“But that is normal. It’s not just United. All the teams want it. We want to be there and as long as I’m here, we will try to be there again. What I want is Man City, my team, being there. The rest, I don’t care.”
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