Former Manchester United captain Gary Neville has said that Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City side are the greatest team in the history of the Premier League.
City became the first Premier League side since Manchester United to successfully defend their title when they defeated Brighton 4-1 on Sunday.
City finished the season with 98 points to follow on from a season where they won 100 points in the previous campaign, the highest ever by a Premier League side, and Neville thinks they may have eclipsed the titles won by his old United sides and Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte’s Chelsea teams.
“I think so,” Neville told Sky Sports News.
“There are people who’ll debate that, I would think, but what they have done in this last two years… Last year was a great achievement, but when you win back-to-back titles amassing the points that they have, withstanding that challenge that they’ve had from Liverpool, which was relentless right the way to the very end, it makes them a great side.
“Pep Guardiola has come to England and people will mention the Champions League, but I would dismiss that, really.
“To do what he’s done here now in this last two years is unprecedented, it’s incredible. The points tallies are just out of this world and the football he’s played as well, so I think you can say, yes, this is the greatest.
“I like our teams, I like the Chelsea team – there will be people who’ll say, ‘Who is the greatest?’, but what they have done in terms of points, you can’t deny.”
City’s successful defence elevates manager Pep Guardiola into some elite company in the history of the Premier League with the former Barcelona boss becoming just the fourth manager to win two or more Premier League titles.
Neville feels like the Catalonian has left his mark on the English game and that he could go on to win more titles with this side.
“Pep Guardiola, he’s come to England – like I say, there will be people who will question that Manchester City have fallen short in the Champions League, but what he achieved yesterday, and obviously he has a chance next week to win a domestic treble – puts him up there with the great managers.
“Arsene Wenger, Jose Mourinho, Sir Alex Ferguson and now Pep Guardiola really are the great managers of the Premier League era.
“I don’t know how long he’s going to stay in England – I’m sure the other clubs will be hoping he leaves quite quickly – but if he stayed for another two or three years, then he could go on and win another two or three championships easily.”
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