Former Liverpool man Graeme Souness has waxed lyrical over Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City and what they could still achieve with a remarkable treble still on the cards.
Liverpool legend and soon-to-be-retired prominent Sky Sports pundit Graeme Souness has hailed Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City as one of the greatest club sides ever in English football history.
Reigning champions City look dead on course to retain their crown after they emaciated title rivals Arsenal seemingly without any fuss on Wednesday night at the Etihad. City’s dominance was so prominent the game appeared unevenly matched, with two magnificent strikes from arguably the best playmaker in the league, Kevin De Bruynek, alongside stunners from John Stones and Erling Haaland ensured the 4-1 demolition of the visitors in a clash that was billed as the biggest of the league season.
Souness, among others, has admitted that the 4-1 scoreline actually greatly flattered the Gunners and that the Cityzens would certainly have slotted in considerably more had it not been for some spectacular saves from Gunners goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale.
City will now be focusing on taking on their crosstown rivals Manchester United in the FA Cup final next month and also have a Champions League semifinal match-up with Real Madrid. The way they are progressing there is a strong likelihood of them achieving the highly elusive treble.
The Liverpool legend now feels that Guardiola’s side can justifiably be mentioned alongside some of the most iconic teams in the history of the Premier League competition. Writing in The Mail, he claimed: “I think City are now firmly in the argument for being the best ever Premier League side, joining the late 1990s Manchester United and the Arsenal of the early 2000s.
“The next challenge for them is to go on and dominate both Europe and domestic football simultaneously. There is only team that has done that – Liverpool in the 1970s and 1980s. Only if they achieve that can we be talking about City as one of the best British sides ever.
“They are certainly capable of winning the Treble and their only enemy now is that constant one in football. Complacency. For Guardiola, it is about keeping his top players at it; never letting them switch off.”
While Souness has issued his backing, Guardiola is reluctant to truly discuss the idea. Xx Earlier this week, the City boss told reporters: “I’ll talk to you about it after we have won the FA Cup and Premier League.
“Before the final of the Champions League we will start to talk of the treble. Look how far away it is. We are far, far away. How many times in this amazing country have trebles been done? How many years? How many teams?
“It is one. Once.”