Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has joked that Manchester United should not fear the idea of City replicating their historic treble.
With hope building in City’s Premier League title charge, Guardiola’s side are on track to win the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League. Should they pull it off, they would be the first side since United in 1999 to win all three and only the second ever.
After City booked their spot in the FA Cup final at the expense of Sheffield United, it was put to Guardiola that United fans are scared about losing their title as the only English side to win the treble.
“They don’t have to be scared, we are neighbours, neighbours are always nice to each other,” Guardiola laughed.
The boss did, however, go on to stress that winning the treble is not currently on his mind.
“I said yesterday we are far away from the treble and this discussion for a funny moment is OK,” he continued. “The reality, I said many times, the most impressive thing for this club, from the hierarchy to the backroom staff is that after many years, six years, winning titles and titles, we are still there [competing]. I love to be here and work with this club.
“One year you can do it – I don’t want to win one Champions League and after be in the bottom. The Champions League [can] destroy projects when you win or lose [but] this club is quite stable. With seven weeks left, we are still fighting for titles – this is the most important trophy we can get. Thank you so much to the [players] – the last three years, the worst performances we have done in the FA Cup is the semis.
“Today a lot of people from Manchester travelled here so we have to perform well. Win or lose, [we] perform how we should and, in the first minute of the warm-up and before in the locker room, we were there.”
As Guardiola points out, City still have a lot of work to do before the treble becomes a reality. In the Premier League, they must beat Arsenal at home on Wednesday to really wrestle back control of the title race, while reigning European champions Real Madrid await in the Champions League semi-final.
In the FA Cup, City will have to see off either Brighton or Man Utd in the final, with Erik ten Hag’s side still in with a shot of preserving their own piece of history.
