Giggs on why City are not on United’s level yet
MANCHESTER City have won many admirers in their “wonder season” but need more trophies to be considered the best Premier League team ever, former Manchester United winger Ryan Giggs has said.
City won manager Pep Guardiola his first silverware in England last weekend, romping to a 3-0 victory over Arsenal in the League Cup final. The runaway league leaders are also on course to win a third league title in seven seasons.
“Everyone recognises the football that they’re playing this year is high up there with some of the best we’ve seen in the Premier League era,” former Wales winger Giggs said.
“But to compare them to ourselves, Arsenal and Chelsea, you have to win multiple titles. You have to be consistent, not just one wonder season, which they are having.”
United have won 13 championships since the Premier League era began in 1992/93, while Chelsea have five. Arsenal are third with three followed by City on two.
Giggs, who won 13 Premier League titles with United and made a record 963 appearances for the club, said City were capable of reaching greater heights.
“It’s up to other clubs, the likes of United, Liverpool, Chelsea, Tottenham, to do better next year and to challenge and see how they handle that.”
City, who have 72 points from 27 games and are 13 points above neighbours United, visit sixth-placed Arsenal in the league tonight.
Meanwhile, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has urged his team to make the most of their chances when they face City for the second time this week. The north London outfit were brushed aside by a dominant City side in last Sunday’s League Cup final with Pep Guardiola’s team converting all three of their shots on target to win 3-0 while Arsenal failed to convert either of their chances.
“We are very disappointed because we lost an important game. We need first to recover and then prepare for the next challenge together,” Wenger said yesterday.
“...Man City had three shots on target and we had two. We need to turn the decisive moments in our favour and play with more freedom than we did.”
City can re-establish a 16-point lead atop the standings when they travel to sixthplaced Arsenal, who are 27 points behind them.
The defeat, and Arsenal’s inconsistent performances this campaign, has led a number of supporters and pundits to call for an end to Wenger’s 22-year reign, but the Frenchman said that he was not worried about his future.
“My position is my position. That’s the last problem I have,” Wenger said. “We are in that kind of situation where you want to focus on the next game.”