Euro title not vital for City

MANCHESTER CITY do not need to win the Champions League to be considered successful as the European competition does not demand the same level of consistency it takes to triumph in the Premier League, midfielder Kevin De Bruyne has said.

The 27-year-old Belgian has been a key part of City’s rise in recent years, with Pep Guardiola’s side clinching the league title after a recordbreaking run last season to add to their League Cup triumph.

The Champions League, however, has eluded City’s grasp with the high-flying side falling in the semi-finals in 2016 and knocked out by league rivals Liverpool in the quarterfinals last season.

“I don’t agree that we have to win the Champions League to be a success. It is a big title to win but in the Champions League you don’t need to have the consistency that you need in the league,” De Bruyne told the BBC. “We were great for the whole year, maybe a bit less against Liverpool, and so we were out. It is a tournament, you need to be good at the right time.

“In the league if you have a bad spell then you are running behind. It is a different prospect, Cup games are different to a league.”

Meanwhile, Manchester United’s lack of new signings combined with the uncertainty surrounding the team’s strategies and form gives the club a very small chance of challenging for the Premier League title, former midfielder Paul Scholes has said.

United manager Jose Mourinho has expressed his frustration over the club’s transfer activity on multiple occasions, with goalkeeper Lee Grant, midfielder Fred and defender Diogo Dalot the only new arrivals ahead of this season.

United finished 19 points behind champions and cross-town rivals City in the league last term and Scholes, who played more than 700 matches for United, said the club are lagging behind City and a strengthened Liverpool this season and does not see Mourinho’s side eclipsing their rivals.

“When you look at Manchester City, possibly Liverpool, I don’t think they (United) have the quality of those two teams at the minute,” Scholes, who retired in 2013, told the Daily Mirror. “Liverpool have made some really good signings. United finished above them last season.

“United seem to be not too sure what’s going on. You don’t really know the team, you don’t really know the players, you don’t know how they’re going to perform from one week to the next. I don’t see them challenging for the league this year.” – Reuters