Gary Neville has said that of all the Manchester City sides under Pep Guardiola, the current one is his absolute favourite to watch.
City produced an outstanding performance yesterday against Manchester United to win 3-0 at Old Trafford.
It was absolute domination from City.
United were bright in the opening 10. But the visitors then started to play and United spent most of the game defending and chasing shadows.
Erling Haaland broke the deadlock from the penalty spot after a foul by Rasmus Hojlund on Rodri.
Haaland then grabbed a second with a header at the back post after great work by Jack Grealish and the amazing Bernardo Silva.
Haaland then turned provider for Phil Foden.
Praise has been plentiful for City and their players since the game.
There was some scintillating football on show at times and after the game, Neville – who had been on commentary for Sky Sports – made a big claim about this current team…
Gary Neville says current Pep Guardiola Manchester City side is his favourite of all
After the game, Neville gave his thoughts on the Gary Neville podcast.
The focus was mainly on how poor United were, and what needs to change at the club so they can be successful again.
But Neville did not shy away from heavily praising City.
In his eyes, this is the best side Pep has ever constructed during his time at the club.
He said: “This is my favourite Guardiola team that I’ve ever seen. Because there’s an imperfection to it. The imperfection is that Haaland sometimes isn’t what a Pep Guardiola centre-forward looks like. The back four are four centre-backs, effectively, now, who are really good defenders. They’re good on set-pieces.
“The two wide players today Grealish and Foden, who looked really fantastic. I really like this team honestly. I’ve always liked them, of course. But this team is one that I think I watch in terms of power and strength and good defending. Rodri in midfield is fantastic.”
This team is amazing to watch
This team perhaps still has a way to go to match the beautiful football played by the Centurions side.
But it’s very possible it will soon surpass that XI, both in terms of the entertainment factor and the winning of trophies.
This City side still plays with that Tiki Taka style that Guardiola has always incorporated into his teams.
But this XI also has power, and an aggression to it. It’s a big, physical side, and there is authority almost everywhere you look.
And then players like Jeremy Doku, Mateo Kovacic and Matheus Nunes – all brilliant ball carriers – have been brought in to shake things up.
It is little wonder this is Neville’s favourite City side under Pep.
