Pep Guardiola, the Manchester City boss, has issued a chilling warning to Manchester United‘s new co-owner, Sir Jim Ratcliffe. He thanked Ratcliffe for calling City the best but warned that his team is set to improve even more.
Ratcliffe had praised City’s Champions League victory over Real Madrid last season as the best football he’d ever seen.
The UK’s wealthiest man was speaking after his partial takeover of United last month. He made his first move by hiring Omar Berrada from City to be United’s CEO.
However, Guardiola is adamant that City won’t give up their spot as the Premier League‘s top team.
“Sir Jim Ratcliffe made those comments and it is completely an honour for all of us,” said Guardiola. “I just can say ‘thank you so much.’
“It means a lot when our rivals recognise our achievements. It helps us do our job better. So thank you so much. I say that on behalf of all of us.
“The best way to get better is to be honest about what’s really happening. You have to ask yourself and your team ‘what’s the reality, what are we doing, what’s next? ‘”.
“When you’re bad, you’re bad. When you’re not good, you’re not good. It happened with us. Previously when we were bad we had to accept it – and after that it is the best way.”
“They have to (improve the club). I demand for myself the best and they have to demand of themselves the best. So in all departments of the club, always we can do better.
“Otherwise you sit and wait and review what you have done while the other people in the other teams are working.
“When you rest, they are working – and working harder because they want to pull you out. It’s normal in football and in life to be like that.
“I know we can do better. Not just the players, or the manager, or the staff and backroom staff. All departments in the club have to feel like they want to do it.”
“That is the best way to reduce (the gap), be closer and come back as the team you want to be, or were. They know it.”
Guardiola has always been gushing in his praise for his players. But he also recognises the role that chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak, chief executive Ferran Soriano, Txiki Begiristain and others have played in transforming the club into a juggernaut.
And ahead of the Manchester derby, he told Ratcliffe that City won’t make closing the gap an easy task.
Guardiola added: “Many, many executives and important players have gone in the recent past and new people have come in.
