Comparisons - so what?

[buckshot]

City's record against the rest of FIFA's top ten in the rankings is:
9 wins and 5 draws and 1 loss
4 of the draws were in ties they ended up winning easity (RBL, RM, BM) and another was a group stage draw after they secured that they'd be moving on. The only loss was to Liverpool but that had the usual cheating ref plot there so pretty obvious City haven't lost but one game they actually needed to win against Europe's top teams.

 

[Deleted member 77198]

no need to compare, this city side is the best ive ever seen and it would have beaten their 99 side comfortably.

i always said (up until pep came here) that liverpools 87/89 side was the best english side ive ever seen. they were the complete side.
united under fergie were just 4-4-2 with tons of crosses and tons of luck/help along the way. (well thats what i remember anyway). arsenals invincibles were better than that side, and even the shite's 08 side was better than the 99 side.

but its all subjective i guess, but come on, this city side with Pep is almost perfection.

United’s best ever team were definitely the 2007-08 side.

 

[petrusha]

Lots of people are prematurely comparing Utd 1999 with City 2023. I’d urge all Blues to avoid these sorts of meaningless debates. Even if City do pull off an amazing treble this week it’s not worth getting embroiled in a debate that is ridiculous.

I tend to agree with this. First, let's discuss any City treble when it's happened and not when we could still be thwarted. But even if we succeed, I don't hold with making any comparisons.

English clubs have been competing in the Champions League and its forerunner the European Cup since 1956/57, and only once in that time has a team added that trophy to a League and FA Cup double. I know people on here don't like to give United credit - and I also accept that their 2008 side was better than their 1999 team - but to achieve something that's been done once in over 65 seasons up to this point is quite a remarkable achievement.

If we do complete the final leg of the same achievement tomorrow, it will be an equally impressive achievement. That's all that needs to be said. It's a bloody tough thing to do given the competitiveness of the PL and the scheduling of the FA Cup semi, which invariably comes immediately before or in the middle of a tough CL tie with a bigger fixture pile-up to come.

 

[Johnny Mars Bar]

Whether we win tomorrow or not our current side would wipe the floor with that 99 rag team and everyone knows it.

 

[Kirkstall Blue]

Tomorrow is the greatest achievement in my mind win and our club is elevated above anything any other club won because it’s the fans, players and Pep who have risen above the relentless criticism and outright vitriol levelled at our club since the takeover.

Just getting there is a superb achievement to be in with the chance of a treble just brilliant. The players seem to be able to rise above the fact they won’t get the accolades they deserve, we know how great they are don’t we? let’s have a “party“ tomorrow the double or the treble

 

[city986]

Simple answer is they were lucky twats, us on the other hand are the ultimate football winning machine

 

[Gorton_Tubster]

If this City played that utd team now we would hammer them. Absolutely run rings around them. They wouldn't know what had just hit them.

If we played them in 1999 our players would have been stretchered of the pitch. The ref would have ignored any red card offences, the media would call PL football the best football in the world.

 

[Bluemoon2393]

Comparions

We are a more likeable team with more likeable players. Play good football and break impressive records that look near impossible to get. We have quality players who let the football do the talking and not what goes on off the pitch.

Uniteds 99 is based on Fergie being the classic bully with the media loving the everyday life of Beckham to the point where he was more a celebrity than a footballer. And also a time where United fans started to become obnoxious and unbearable.

 

[vmsuhail]

To summarize what I've read:

For United >

• Had many academy players
• More dramatic
• Challenged by a tougher Arsenal team who won the double the previous year.
• English teams were not really good in Europe

For City >

• Better footballing side compared to United - more points, more goals scored and less conceded
• Destroyed top European and domestic sides.
• Overcame an 8 point lead in the title race
• No fluke wins and beat Manchester United in the FA cup final

Both sides have their case.

 

[Kirkstall Blue]

To summarize what I've read:

For United >

• Had many academy players
• More dramatic
• Challenged by a tougher Arsenal team who won the double the previous year.
• English teams were not really good in Europe

For City >

• Better footballing side compared to United - more points, more goals scored and less conceded
• Destroyed top European and domestic sides.
• Overcame an 8 point lead in the title race
• No fluke wins and beat Manchester United in the FA cup final

Both sides have their case.

Don’t forget fergie time play on until they scored, we have earned our trophies, tomorrow crack open the champagne regardless