Manchester City’s new Arab owners have sent shock waves
through the football world since taking over the club a month ago,
but Rafael Benítez, the Liverpool manager, has warned them that
they may be underestimating the size of their mission to build a
team capable of winning the Barclays Premier League.
“I do not know when they can become genuine title contenders,”
the Spaniard said, aware that it has taken four years to turn his
team into challengers. “They are a good team with good players and
a good manager [Mark Hughes], so they can be top of the table, but
there are other teams that have spent big money, like Aston Villa.
But you must realise how hard the Premier League is to win. Every
year you hear about possible challenges from Aston Villa,
Newcastle, West Ham. Now it is City. We shall see.
“It’s not easy to improve a squad. Chelsea were spending money
for years before they could win the title. You also have to take
into consideration the level of the other teams. Chelsea,
Manchester United and Arsenal have all been spending big money on
players for a long time.”
Chelsea supporters would point out that their club won the title
in 2005, less than two years after Roman Abramovich bought the
club, but the league appears even more competitive now. Where
Chelsea were building on firm foundations, City finished a distant
ninth in the league last season.
“It’s a big, big ask for us [to finish in the top four],” Hughes
said. “There are good sides who reside there at the moment. Hughes
is eager to sign players with Premier League experience when the
January transfer window opens, rather than simply plundering the
biggest names, but Benítez has told City to forget the idea of
trying to sign his captain. “Gerrard is playing well and if we are
improving he will be very, very happy here,” Benítez said.
“The key is that he wants to stay here. That is the most
important thing. It is not a question of money.”
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