MANCHESTER: Manchester City, who face Barcelona in the Champions League on Tuesday, are now a “bigger club” than arch-rivals Manchester United, coach Manuel Pellegrini said on Monday.
The 60-year-old Chilean coach, in his first season at the Etihad Stadium, delivered the line straight-faced in reply to a question at a news conference when he was asked if a City victory over Barcelona would change the perception that United were the biggest club in Manchester.
“If we consider only this season there is just one club in Manchester and it is ours,” he said. “Basically the biggest club is now City, though we cannot forget the last few years.”
Pellegrini, not normally as prone to barbed one-liners as managers including Chelsea’s Jose Mourinho, may be factually correct regarding the form of United and City this season.
However, United’s achievements, which include winning the European Cup three times and 20 English league titles, totally dwarf those of City who have been English champions three times and are in the knockout round of the Champions League for the first time.
City were dismissed as “noisy neighbours” in 2009 by then-United manager Alex Ferguson when they began to flex their new-found wealth following the investment in the club by Sheikh Mansour of Abu Dhabi.
But they have certainly made more of the right noises than United since Ferguson’s departure at the end of last season.
They are currently third in the EPL, three points behind leaders Chelsea with a match in hand, and have reached the League Cup final and the FA Cup quarterfinals.
In contrast, United are seventh in the Premier League, 15 points behind Chelsea, and are out of the FA Cup and League Cup. (AFP)