“With or Without (Kylian) Mbappe” – Pep Guardiola Once Again Snubs Barcelona To Shower Real Madrid With High Praise

We have seen some fine soccer rivalries over the past few years. While fans don’t want to miss a second of the El Classico or the London derby, the UCL clash between Manchester City and Real Madrid is starting to become one of the best rivalries. Both teams love to play attacking football, making it hard to determine the winner.

The Sky Blues and Los Blancos have faced each other thrice in the knockout stages in the last three seasons. Each time, the winner of the tie has gone on to win the coveted silverware. Talk about absolute dominance!

In an interview, Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola recently commented on their European rivals. Despite his ties with Barcelona, Guardiola lauded Real Madrid as the side to beat. The Manchester City boss stated, “With Mbappé or without Mbappé, Real Madrid are always strong. That is the rival to beat in the Champions League, there is no doubt. They are the rival number one. If you meet Real Madrid, try to eliminate them. It’s motivation.”

Real Madrid confirmed Kylian Mbappe’s arrival earlier this month. With his signing, fans labeled the Los Blancos as the favorites for all major silverware. However, that doesn’t seem to be the case for everyone. Especially, ex-Liverpool star Graeme Souness who isn’t on board with the popular opinion.

Liverpool icon snubs Real Madrid despite Pep Guardiola’s backing

Former Liverpool star Graeme Souness touched down on Kylian Mbappe’s move to Real Madrid on the latest episode of UpFront. The ex-Liverpool star stated, “I think it gives them a better chance. It doesn’t guarantee a chance. I think it gives them a great chance of doing what they do better than any other club and that’s winning the big cups. That’s all it does. While Mbappe does make them better, does that guarantee them winning the La Liga or the Champions League? No.”

Well, Souness is not the only person to downplay Mbappe’s transfer decision. Joan Laporta was left unimpressed with the move, but the man had his reasons. I mean, imagine if you tried your best to buy a Fiat only for your neighbor to pull up in a McLaren!? It hurts when your rivals bag the best players while you scour to pennies to register your existing squad.

For all it’s worth, I believe Kylian Mbappe’s addition will surely benefit Real Madrid. However, how will Carlo Ancelotti deal with the headaches that come with the Frenchman? That’s a story for another day.