Rio Ferdinand has urged Manchester United supporters to keep their expectations low this season, insisting Arsenal are the clear favourites to retain the Premier League title.
Manchester United were tipped for an outside chance to Premier League glory by some pundits as potential dark horses before the season began after Michael Carrick’s impressive interim spell in charge last season. That chance took a hit immediately, though, as Manchester United lost 2-0 to newly promoted Hull City on the opening weekend.
Ferdinand doesn’t believe the setback means Manchester United are in trouble. He simply thinks the club need to be realistic about where they currently stand.
Rio Ferdinand backs Arsenal to stay on top
Arsenal couldn’t have asked for a better start to their title defence, beating newly promoted Coventry City 3-0. Ferdinand was impressed by the way Mikel Arteta’s side approached the game and believes their stability gives them a huge advantage over the rest.
“It was what I expected from Arsenal,” Ferdinand said on his YouTube channel. “Solid, hard to play against, shut down the opposition and then fed on some mistakes and punished them. They played like champions.”
For Ferdinand, that first result is part of a bigger picture.
“I don’t see anyone being able to challenge Arsenal this season. They’re the only team with stability. Everyone else has had big changes.”
Manchester City have lost Pep Guardiola, while Rodri has also left for Barcelona. Liverpool and Chelsea have both changed managers too, with Andoni Iraola taking over at Anfield and Xabi Alonso now in charge at Stamford Bridge.
Ferdinand sees Arsenal’s continuity as the biggest difference.
“The experience Mikel Arteta has compared to the others is night and day. He knows how to win now as well.”
He even expects Arsenal to put together another title-winning run.
“Not many managers have won back-to-back Premier League titles, but I think Mikel Arteta is going to join that club. I think this is going to be a period of dominance for Arsenal.”
Ferdinand lowers Man Utd expectations
When it came to his former club, Rio Ferdinand was much less optimistic about a title challenge.
United’s impressive second half of last season has raised expectations, but Ferdinand believes there is still too much change around Carrick’s team for them to be considered genuine title contenders.
“Manchester United need to set their stall out in a realistic manner. We can’t pretend that Man United should be going for the Premier League title this season.”
That doesn’t mean Ferdinand expects a poor campaign.
He believes Manchester United should be targeting another top-four finish and using that as the foundation for what comes next.
“We all want that but you need to be realistic and realise where you are. I think they will finish in the top-four and I would be happy with top-four.”
Rio Ferdinand believes the priority is to keep steady progress rather than trying to jump straight to the top of the table.
“We need to consolidate the success we had last season and if we can get a trophy on top of that then great.”
The opening day Hull defeat was a disappointing start, but Manchester United shouldn’t let one poor afternoon change the season.
While many pundits might have given Manchester United an outside chance for the Premier League title, it seems Manchester United need a season more to build on their third-place finish last season. While Rio Ferdinand tips Arsenal for the title, Manchester United aren’t having a bad season either.
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