Former Liverpool player Glen Johnson has claimed that Sir Alex Ferguson's treble-winning side of 1999 is not better than Pep Guardiola's current treble chasers.
For context, Manchester United were the first English side to win the Premier League, FA Cup, and Champions League, becoming one of the most famous teams in history.
Many teams have attempted to match United's achievements but have failed to do so. Manchester City has come closest, but they have yet to win the Champions League. They have suffered recent losses against Lyon, Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea in the final, and others.
However, this year, Manchester City appears poised to break their European drought. After defeating Real Madrid in the semi-finals, they will now face Italian side Inter Milan in Istanbul. With the Premier League title already secured and an FA Cup final against Manchester United upcoming, Pep Guardiola's team has the opportunity to replicate Ferguson's United side by winning the treble.
Glen Johnson is among the many people engaged in the debate about which team is better.
Johnson believes that the current Manchester City side is superior to Ferguson's team and doubts that United could defeat City in 2023.
🗣 "It's not about stopping them, it's about winning a cup." 🏆
Erik ten Hag dismisses that their motivation is to stop a Manchester City treble in the FA Cup final pic.twitter.com/vu2ZB1ct3O— Football Daily (@footballdaily) June 2, 2023
"The thing is time changes and obviously the 1999 United side it hurts me to say it 'but it was a proper team', they were world class," said Johnson to the Irish Post.
"I just think with these guys now [City] I just can't see that 1999 side beating this team. You know great names, they've all been fantastic and won things in their careers, but I just think that you know it's not even about being better than this City team.
He further stated that he can't see the 1999 side beating the current City team. While acknowledging the great names and accomplishments of the 1999 United players, Johnson believes it's not solely about being better than the current City team.
Johnson's reasoning for considering Pep's team better than Ferguson's treble winners lies in the manner of their victories this season. City has convincingly defeated teams domestically and abroad, including Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, and others. Johnson emphasized that City has beaten top-quality teams easily, highlighting their exceptional performance.
He added: "You just need everything to fall in your way, or you're going to get smashed. They have beaten proper teams easily, and I don't think we have seen a team as good as this ever."
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