Gary Neville believes Manchester City’s dominance has become boring, and admits he finds them difficult to watch.
Pep Guardiola’s men have won five of the last six Premier League titles, and have gathered momentum this season by winning their last 11 matches in all competitions.
Their latest victory came on Tuesday night when they beat RB Leipzig 3-1 in the Champions League to take control of their last-16 tie, but Neville has revealed he couldn’t bring himself to watch the game.
Speaking on the Stick to Football podcast, Neville said: ‘I didn’t switch Manchester City [vs FC Copenhagen] on, on Tuesday night. I felt a bit bored.
‘I saw a post from a Liverpool fan that said he watched every single one of Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United games in the Champions League, because there was that feeling that there was always going to be excitement one way or the other – they’d lose, or they’d win and the game would be exciting.
Gary Neville has admitted he has become ‘bored’ of watching Manchester City
Roy Keane has defended City, saying their brilliance deserves to be admired
City have won 11 straight matches and are on course for back-to-back Trebles
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‘You just can’t watch City – it’s almost like they’ve ruined it a little bit.
‘To call City boring would be wrong, because the football they play is outstanding, but I actually thought they were boring – I found it difficult to watch them. Since Erling Haaland’s gone [with an injury] they’re a bit more imperfect.’
City won the Treble last term and are on course to repeat that feat this year, although Neville is not particularly keen on how they are achieving their success.
However, former United captain Roy Keane leapt to City’s defence, and hailed their ability to be so dominant for so long.
‘[Manchester City are boring] because they’re so brilliant!’ he replied when responding to Neville’s criticism.
‘I get where people are coming from, but I wouldn’t agree when fans say that about City [being boring] – they’re very technical, and the stats the other night are unbelievable. I know it was just FC Copenhagen, but they beat Manchester United.
‘I admire that stuff – I admire when a team can dominate so much, whether it be possession, the players, their style. I like their style of play because of the brilliance of it.
We watch a lot of teams who try and play possession and get nowhere, but they [City] are topping it off as well with winning and scoring goals.
I’d give City the thumbs up – it’s obviously how we were at United, but I get the argument – even Liverpool in the last few years are a bit more emotional, get it forward quicker – but because they’re so technical and brilliant, I admire that.’
Gary Neville and Roy Keane were speaking on the Stick to Football podcast, brought to you by Sky Bet
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