Pep Guardiola wanted to 'overtake Manchester United' - Rio Ferdinand on 'difference-maker' Man City boss after title win
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Updated 20/05/2024 at 07:15 GMT+1
Manchester City were crowned Premier League champions for the fourth season in a row. TNT Sports experts Rio Ferdinand and Martin Keown both praised the impact of City boss Pep Guardiola, with Ferdinand saying he is a "genius". Ferdinand also revealed Guardiola had messaged him about wanting to become the first side in Premier League history to win four straight titles.
'He's the difference maker' - Ferdinand, Keown hail 'all-time great' Guardiola
Rio Ferdinand hailed Pep Guardiola as the “difference maker” at Manchester City and revealed how determined the Spaniard was to win a fourth Premier League title in a row and “overtake Manchester United”.
Man City clinched another Premier League crown with victory over West Ham on the final day of the season.
They are the first team in the history of top-flight English football to win four in a row, with even Sir Alex Ferguson’s great Manchester United sides not managing the feat.
“I talk to Pep quite a lot on the phone and four in a row has been on his mind before the season started,” said TNT Sports expert and former Man Utd defender Ferdinand about Guardiola.
“He messages me taking the mick about if they win four then they are past Man Utd, there is a hunger and desire for him to overtake Manchester United.
“This guy is the main difference, he’s a genius amongst elite people in that squad and at the club, he is the difference-maker.
“Aligned to his genius tactically and the way he sets up his systems to combat others is the way he evolves and year in, year out brings something new to the table. That’s the difference. And the recruitment behind that. They lose [Riyad] Mahrez, they bring in [Jeremy] Doku. The patience with [Phil] Foden, Rico Lewis emerges, there’s [Manuel] Akanji, [Nathan] Ake..."
City finished the 2023/24 campaign on 91 points, two ahead of Arsenal, who also won on the final day.
While there is still a wait to hear whether they will face punishment for 115 charges of alleged financial irregularity, Ferdinand says Guardiola and the players deserve enormous credit for winning a fourth straight title.
“It’s hard to explain how difficult that is," Ferdinand said. "To continually reboot and go again, season after season, the intensity they play with, the scrutiny, the pressure, the daily ask to get up and go every single day, to achieve that, it’s a relentless pursuit of elite performance and they have done it.
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“There are people talking about other aspects outside that could change that but you have to respect these guys, the individuals who are there have been fantastic and they have been super elite consistently. “
Arsenal pushed City all the way down the stretch but could not overhaul them to win their first title in 20 years.
Former Gunners defender Martin Keown says Mikel Arteta’s side pushed City to the “absolute limit”.
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“Pep knows how good Arteta is," said Keown on TNT Sports.
"He has had him in the camp [as assistant manager], seen him as a rival, I think he will hang around a bit to show who’s boss, but Arsenal have pushed him to the absolute limit.
“I do think he is the all-time great, the way he has changed the game, he finds a way to keep evolving and staying ahead of the rest of the pack. He is incredibly driven.”
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