Manchester: Former Manchester United defender Gary Neville believes that Manchester City will struggle to match the era of success enjoyed by his former club.
City snatched the title from Sir Alex Ferguson`s men in dramatic fashion in May, with Sergio Aguero scoring an injury-time winner against QPR to hand Roberto Mancini`s men first place on goal difference,
However, despite witnessing City`s first league championship win since 1968, Neville thinks it will be difficult for the Etihad Stadium outfit to repeat the triumph on a frequent basis.
"Very rarely does a team run away with it," he said.
"It`s a tough league to win and the idea that a team will go on and dominate, it`s too early to start speculating about that.”
"Manchester United have done it through the `90s and last ten years, Liverpool did it in the 1970s and 1980s. It`s very difficult to dominate over 15 to 20 years.”
"We will see what happens next year. The easiest thing to say, and I`ve heard it a lot of times before, is that City will dominate.”
"If City had lost the league on the last day people would have been saying United would dominate. It happens every year, the sort of up and down reaction we get. The reality is that there will always be a challenge to whoever will be champions."
Neville also expressed his belief that his former club will bounce back strongly next season, as they seek to reclaim their title from their fierce local rivals.
"I think Manchester United will be up there again. I don`t think anyone is kidding themselves over that," he added.
"[Sir Alex Ferguson] being there obviously helps because he knows full well what it`s been like to succeed, but also what failure has tasted like in this last 20 years - you can`t win the league every year.”
"The group of players that are there are also experienced and have been round the block, so they know it is [about] fine lines - you can`t win every single game all the time and you will have disappointments.”
"It`s how you respond to that. All clubs have aspirations and Manchester United are no different. You realise that you are competing with other clubs and you can`t be arrogant about that."
Goal.com
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.