October 30, (THEWILL) – Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has revealed he did not anticipate establishing such dominance over local rivals Manchester United when he first joined the club in 2016.
In an interview following City’s resounding 3-0 win at Old Trafford on Sunday, Guardiola admitted he was surprised by the extent of his side’s success compared to United’s struggles since his arrival. The Spaniard moved to the Etihad Stadium in the same summer Jose Mourinho took charge at United. While Mourinho claimed three trophies in his first season, Guardiola has transformed City into Premier League champions and led them to European glory.
Guardiola reflected that he “didn’t expect” the current gulf between the Manchester clubs when he came up against Mourinho’s United squad containing star names like Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Romelu Lukaku. Since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement in 2013, United have won just four major honours compared to City’s haul of 11 under Guardiola.
The City manager attributed his club’s pre-eminence to an alignment of vision between the ownership, executives and coaching staff. In contrast, he implied United have been damaged by divides under the Glazer family’s stewardship. Guardiola said City’s togetherness allows the club to recover quickly after disappointments without overreacting.
After Sunday’s statement win at Old Trafford, Guardiola’s City are joint second with Arsenal. They are both behind Tottenham Hotspur, who top the English Premier League table at this point. With the Manchester power dynamic now firmly tilted in City’s favour, they appear poised to continue their recent dominance over United for the foreseeable future.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
