Ray Parlour names 3 legendary Premier League teams that could beat Manchester City's treble-winners
Arsenal legend Ray Parlour has backed three iconic Premier League teams to beat the current Manchester City side if they went head-to-head in an encounter.
The Englishman believes the 'Invincibles' Arsenal side, the 1999 treble-winning Manchester United team, and Chelsea's defensive fortress of a team under former manager Jose Mourinho can defeat Pep Guardiola's side.
Insisting Manchester City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne could play for the Invincibles side, Parlour told Lord Ping (via football.london):
"I'd have to say (Kevin) De Bruyne would make our team. When he's on the ball, you know something's going to happen, just ask (Erling) Haaland! We had Dennis Bergkamp, who was similar, but you could give De Bruyne a free role in the side and great things would happen."
He added:
"Haaland would be another one, but we had Thierry Henry. Pep Guardiola would have loved (Patrick) Viera. He was so important. If not him, Sol Campbell. He'd strengthen any back four."
Touching upon a hypothetical match between these sides and the treble-winning Manchester City team, Parlour further stated:
"It's very hard to judge how a game between them would go. I think we'd give City a game and just nick it. I think 2-1 to Arsenal. You could go back to Manchester United's 1999 team or (Jose) Mourinho's first Chelsea teams as they were very good as well."
The Cityzens are off to a great start to the 2023/24 Premier League campaign as well. The reigning champions are atop the league table with four wins from their first four encounters.
Norway manager snubs Manchester City's Erling Haaland as he names his 2023 Ballon d'Or winner
Norway manager Stale Solbakken believes Lionel Messi will win the 2023 Ballon d'Or ahead of Haaland. The Norwegian manager believes the choice for this year's award will be between the Manchester City star, Messi, and Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) superstar Kylian Mbappe.
Haaland had an exceptional 2022/23 campaign for the Cityzens, playing a crucial role in their iconic treble win. The former Borussia Dortmund star racked up 52 goals and nine assists in 53 appearances across all competitions for Manchester City last term, averaging nearly a goal every game.
However, Lionel Messi had a stellar year as well, winning the coveted FIFA World Cup with Argentina. He put on some extremely impressive performances at the tournament and won the Golden Ball for his exploits.
Solbakken believes the World Cup win gives the Argentine forward the edge in this year's Ballon d'Or race. The Norway boss said (via Manchester Evening News):
"It's probably between Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappé and Erling. And then there are some outsiders under there. If you ask who I think will win, I think Messi will win because of the World Cup. There is always an emphasis on this year with the World Cup. Mbappé was there too."