27 April 2023 , 20:10
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Rio Ferdinand has recalled the times that Manchester United were 'violated' by Pep Guardiola's Barcelona.
The England centre back was part of the United side that beat Chelsea on penalties to win the Champions League in Moscow in 2008. But that night proved the peak of a dominant era for The Red Devils, despite appearing in two more finals in the in the proceeding three seasons.
On both occasions though, they came up against the rampant Catalonians. In 2009, Guardiola's side beat United 2-0 in Rome, and then two years later at Wembley Lionel Messi and co delivered one of the great European final displays to prevail 3-1.
More than a decade on, and Guardiola's City side are reminiscent of the Spanish giants during their golden period. And after the Sky Blues dispatched Arsenal 4-1 on Wednesday night, they're in pole position to win a third straight Premier League title, which would be the first time the feat was achieved since United under Ferguson in 2006-07, 2007-08, and 2008-09.
And working as a pundit for BT Sport ahead of his former side's game at Tottenham on Thursday, Ferdinand was asked how the current crop at City compared to the United side of those three years. And he also tackled which of the two sides would hypothetically be stronger if they went head-to-head.
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"Tough. I think it would be a tough game," he admitted. "It’s hard because Pep’s teams are hard to play against, we were violated by his Barcelona teams so this team with the weapons that they have now in Haaland and the way Haaland and de Bruyne are connecting, it would be difficult."
Pep Guardiola and Ferguson before the 2011 Champions League final (AFP via Getty Images)Making no secret of where his allegiances still lay though, Ferdinand's eventual verdict backed Ferguson's team to come out and top up: "Difficult one - I think we’d win 3-1," he concluded.
Ferdinand, 44, also won seven league titles during his 12-year spell at Old Trafford, as well as two League Cups and a Club World Cup. But since the last of those Premier League triumphs, in 2012-13, United have failed to add another title.
And City are also on course to match the famous 1998-99 treble achieved by Ferguson and co. Ironically, it's United who could scupper that ambition, with the two sides meeting in the first all-Manchester FA Cup final on June 3.