United can [change owners](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2024/02/24/jim-ratcliffe-man-utd-fulham-ten-hag/), headhunt the best chief executive and sporting director in the world, revamp their recruitment department, rebuild Old Trafford and appoint their best manager since Sir Alex Ferguson. It doesn’t matter. So long as Guardiola is around, City will lose no sleep.
United will never be the most dominant club in their city, let alone the rest of the country, until City are in the process of hiring a new coach.
This is how great football eras work. Legendary, world-class managers never get surpassed by their contemporaries while at their peak, and we are still in the midst of City’s dominance.
Obviously United can, should and probably will massively improve once the partial ‘takeover’ by Sir Jim Ratcliffe yields the necessary changes. But for United or anyone else to become top dogs in English and European football does not depend solely on what they do. They need a deterioration from their rivals as much as a radical shift in their own standards.
The most transformative moments in English football are often a direct consequence of elite managers departing. United can recognise this better than any club having felt the negative impact when Sir Matt Busby stepped down in 1969, and then again Ferguson in 2013. What rivals did to fill the void was only half of the story. It was United failing to implement a successful succession plan that led to the barren years.
City would always have emerged as the force they have after their Abu Dhabi buy-out, but Ferguson’s departure is the single biggest reason why United fell off their ‘perch’ in the first place.
Despite the popularity of Ferguson’s famous quote, I am not sure any dominant manager has ever been ‘knocked off his perch’. United, like Liverpool when Kenny Dalglish left in 1991, contributed to their own downfall because their legendary manager left and the replacements were not as good. That made the task of everyone else easier.
While Ferguson was in charge, United were guaranteed to compete for the top honours. Yes, he was challenged and beaten by Arsène Wenger and Jose Mourinho among others during different periods, but he was never dethroned as the Premier League’s best manager during his reign. Everyone knew at the start of every season if you finished above United, you were probably going to be champions. That is now true of those fighting City. They are the standard by which everyone else is judged.
Horrible spitty scouse prick.
Don’t post his shite on here
How do I get a gig where I write obvious stuff and get paid for it? United are finished. This is city’s era.
Rodris on fire your defence is terrified,rodris on fire, uuuuuuuuuu LALALALALALA LA LA LA LALALALA LALALALA LALA
My predictions 4-0 city, just a 3 pointer game nothing new
The past several seasons when pep was not at city, the team still kicked the rags all over the swamp. No one can forget that 6-1 thrashing at the swamp. Some other team will knock city off the team when the time inevitably comes but it will definitely not be some rags from the swamp.
6 comments
***Jamie Carragher writes exclusively in Telegraph Sport:***
Manchester United can forget about [knocking Manchester City off their perch](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2024/02/21/sir-jim-ratcliffe-manchester-utd-manchester-city-liverpool/) while [Pep Guardiola remains in English football](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2023/06/10/man-city-treble-winners-pep-guardiola-greatest-manager/).
United can [change owners](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2024/02/24/jim-ratcliffe-man-utd-fulham-ten-hag/), headhunt the best chief executive and sporting director in the world, revamp their recruitment department, rebuild Old Trafford and appoint their best manager since Sir Alex Ferguson. It doesn’t matter. So long as Guardiola is around, City will lose no sleep.
United will never be the most dominant club in their city, let alone the rest of the country, until City are in the process of hiring a new coach.
This is how great football eras work. Legendary, world-class managers never get surpassed by their contemporaries while at their peak, and we are still in the midst of City’s dominance.
Obviously United can, should and probably will massively improve once the partial ‘takeover’ by Sir Jim Ratcliffe yields the necessary changes. But for United or anyone else to become top dogs in English and European football does not depend solely on what they do. They need a deterioration from their rivals as much as a radical shift in their own standards.
The source of hope is that Guardiola will not be around forever. Everyone beyond the Etihad is praying he does not extend [the contract that runs until 2025](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2022/11/22/pep-guardiola-set-extend-manchester-city-contract-2025/). When he has had enough the tide might turn, just as [Jürgen Klopp’s imminent exit from Liverpool](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2024/01/26/live-jurgen-klopp-to-leave-liverpool-at-end-of-the-season/) runs the possibility of his club falling back into the pack. The champagne corks will be popping in the Ineos offices on the day Guardiola goes because it will reduce the timescale by which United’s ambitions can realistically be realised.
The most transformative moments in English football are often a direct consequence of elite managers departing. United can recognise this better than any club having felt the negative impact when Sir Matt Busby stepped down in 1969, and then again Ferguson in 2013. What rivals did to fill the void was only half of the story. It was United failing to implement a successful succession plan that led to the barren years.
City would always have emerged as the force they have after their Abu Dhabi buy-out, but Ferguson’s departure is the single biggest reason why United fell off their ‘perch’ in the first place.
Despite the popularity of Ferguson’s famous quote, I am not sure any dominant manager has ever been ‘knocked off his perch’. United, like Liverpool when Kenny Dalglish left in 1991, contributed to their own downfall because their legendary manager left and the replacements were not as good. That made the task of everyone else easier.
While Ferguson was in charge, United were guaranteed to compete for the top honours. Yes, he was challenged and beaten by Arsène Wenger and Jose Mourinho among others during different periods, but he was never dethroned as the Premier League’s best manager during his reign. Everyone knew at the start of every season if you finished above United, you were probably going to be champions. That is now true of those fighting City. They are the standard by which everyone else is judged.
**Read Jamie’s full column here:** [**https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2024/03/01/manchester-united-city-perch-guardiola-carragher/**](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2024/03/01/manchester-united-city-perch-guardiola-carragher/)
Horrible spitty scouse prick.
Don’t post his shite on here
How do I get a gig where I write obvious stuff and get paid for it? United are finished. This is city’s era.
Rodris on fire your defence is terrified,rodris on fire, uuuuuuuuuu LALALALALALA LA LA LA LALALALA LALALALA LALA
My predictions 4-0 city, just a 3 pointer game nothing new
The past several seasons when pep was not at city, the team still kicked the rags all over the swamp. No one can forget that 6-1 thrashing at the swamp. Some other team will knock city off the team when the time inevitably comes but it will definitely not be some rags from the swamp.