Liverpool legend John Aldridge has called Premier League champions Manchester City a ‘small club’ who ‘got lucky’ with their Abu Dhabi owners.
The mammoth investment in City over the past decade has seen them rise to become one of the superpowers of world football, but Aldridge still believes they pale in comparison to the Reds.
“The reality is and will always be that expectations at Liverpool will always be very different when compared to Manchester City,” he told the Irish Independent.
“This has to be an advantage for City and it’s an issue that will always be there when one of the biggest names in the game goes up against a small team that has basically got lucky by finding a sugar daddy investor.
“Even though I appreciate City fans will be offended when we say they are still a small club, that is how everyone outside of their bubble still views them, despite their success in winning a few trophies in recent years.
“They will always be a small club compared to their neighbours Manchester United and compared to Liverpool, with the latter two having decades of success that have allowed them to become sporting giants on the world stage.”
OPINION
The validity of Aldridge’s statements essentially rest on how you define being a big club. Is it a historical thing, or is it based on how many trophies they win – especially in recent years? If you’re looking at things from a historical standpoint, then there is no doubt that Liverpool are a far bigger club than Manchester City. Whether City are a small club historically or not is a matter of perspective, but if you’re looking at things from a long term point of view then they fall behind the likes of Newcastle United and Leeds United, let alone Manchester United and Liverpool. By Aldridge’s definition, though, City need two decades of success to be considered a big club. Well, they are already half way there. City remain a smaller club than Man United and Liverpool, but it’s harsh to say that they are a small club in and of itself. However, Aldridge is right about them getting a sugar daddy, which is essentially what their Abu Dhabi owners are.
