Pep Guardiola has warned that the struggles endured by Manchester United could easily be replicated at Manchester City if a dominant domestic force of the modern era do not take important lessons from the struggles of old adversaries.
The Blues proved once again in their latest Premier League outing that they are very much kings in their own backyard by easing to a 4-1 victory over the visiting Red Devils at the Etihad Stadium.
City are still in the hunt for three pieces of silverware this season – having collected 11 trophies since Sir Alex Ferguson departed Old Trafford in 2013 – but Guardiola is eager to point out that success cannot be taken for granted.
What has been said?
The former Barcelona and Bayern Munich boss has said of his current employers, who have seen arch-rivals hit a serious slump since an iconic coach of their own headed into retirement: “The club (City) is so stable in what they want to do, the way they want to play, but the example we have to live [by] is that United could not expect a decade ago these years of living without Premier League [titles].
“We have to learn. It could happen here too. [We can't] believe we are so good that it is not going to happen here - it can happen, so quickly.
“I remember Milan winning Champions Leagues under [Arrigo] Sacchi and [Fabio] Capello, then years without playing in Europe. When I was a teenager, Sacchi was the team all around the world we admire, and then this is what we have to avoid.”
What has happened to Man Utd?
Ferguson walked away from Old Trafford in 2013 on the back of a 13th Premier League title triumph in the space of 20 remarkable years.
He also collected two Champions League crowns – a prize that has so far eluded Guardiola at City – as well as five FA Cup wins, four League Cups and the FIFA Club World Cup.
Filling his shoes was always going to be a huge task, with the likes of David Moyes, Louis van Gaal, Jose Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskkjaer finding that out the hard way.
Mourinho did deliver three trophies during his reign with the Red Devils, but the most recent of those successes came back in 2017 and United look unlikely to bring a five-year drought to a close in 2022.
They are currently working under the interim charge of Ralf Rangnick, but the German tactician will be moving into a consultancy role at the end of the season and a big decision lies in store when it comes to appointing a new permanent manager.
City, meanwhile, are still in contention for Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup honours this term, with Guardiola tied to a contract with them through to 2024.
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