Rio Ferdinand believes Manchester City are currently the team to beat in the Premier League and has favoured them as the title favourites.
Two months into the new campaign, the Premier League title race is shaping up nicely with at least four clubs vying for the league title while the chasing pack are not far behind either.
Chelsea were looking like the favourites early on in the campaign due to their formidable defence. They are even leading the league table with 16 points on the board, at least one more than everyone else. Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand had even hailed the Blues as the likeliest team to win the Premier League title during the earlier phase of the campaign.
However, speaking on his FIVE podcast, Ferdinand has made a dramatic U-turn, hailing Manchester City as the new favourites to retain their league title this season after being left impressed by their strong comeback and incredible show of character lately.
“It ebbs and flows man!” the Champions League winner said on the FIVE YouTube channel, before adding, “In the first four of five games of the season, I was sitting there and thinking Chelsea are the team to beat. Three of four games later and I’m thinking Man City are the team to beat. They have looked seriously impressive against the big teams.”
Manchester City are currently third in the Premier League table and have done extremely well to bounce back, after starting the campaign with a defeat to Tottenham Hotspur. They did recently play out a draw with fellow title challengers Liverpool, but the performance left Ferdinand impressed.
“City dominated Chelsea away [last weekend], they dominated Liverpool in the first half [on Sunday] and should have seen the game off. They might be a bit disappointed with a 2-2 draw but they look the most impressive to me. They look formidable at times,” said Ferdinand, when talking about the draw.
The 42-year-old, who had made 455 competitive appearances for Manchester United, went on to hail Pep Guardiola’s men due to their performances and tactical prowess, before labelling them as favourites.
“There’s no doubt they’re going to dominate 99 per cent of their games but it’s just about the finishing. When they get over that element and get that right, I think they are the team to beat. Manchester City have got the experience and the class and the players. They seem to be head and shoulders above everyone else tactically.”
Despite the praises from the Manchester United legend, though, Manchester City are enduring a dicey spell at the moment, having recently lost to PSG in the Champions League while being held to a draw by Liverpool that cost them the opportunity to move on top of the league table. The reigning English champions will be hoping for a change of fortunes when club football returns after the international break.
