"We’re not worried about Arsenal next season" - Ex-Manchester City star makes bold claim about the Gunners in PL title race
Former Manchester City winger Shaun Wright-Phillips has stated that City are not afraid of Arsenal in the Premier League title race this season. He believes Pep Guardiola has something up his sleeve as the opponents have got stronger this summer.
Arsenal were on top of the league for 93% of the 2022-23 season but ended up losing the title to Manchester City. The Gunners finished second and have made a poor start in pre-season this summer, failing to win their two games so far.
Wright-Phillips does not think Mikel Arteta's side will be the ones causing trouble to Manchester City this season. He claims that the other sides could offer more, but backs Guardiola to come out with a new tactic. He was quoted by Metro as saying:
"We're not worried about Arsēnal next season. There are so many other teams who have got stronger since last season. I think there will be more opportunities for other teams to try to claw back at Man City and Arsēnal."
He added:
"City have dominated the Premier League for more than 10 years and the challenge is to keep on doing it because other teams have got stronger. You never know with Pep Guardiola… After playing with four centre-backs last season, he's probably now got something else up his sleeve."
Manchester City have signed Mateo Kovacic this summer while letting go of Ilkay Gundogan at the end of his contract. They have also been linked with Josko Gvardiol (via Fabrizio Romano).
Wright-Phillips on Manchester City walking away with Premier League title from Arsenal's jaws
Shaun Wright-Phillips claimed that his father, Ian Wright, got a bit carried away last season. The former Manchester City star admitted that he gave it back to the Arsenal legend after the league title was sealed.
Shaun went on to reveal that Ian took the loss gracefully and admitted that the Cityzens deserved the title. He added that City's wins at Emirates and the Etihad changed his mind and was quoted by Metro as saying:
"He got a bit carried away earlier in the season, so I gave him a little bit back when City came good – like I said they would. To be fair, my dad took it very gracefully. He admitted Man City deserved it, especially after the games with Arsenal at the Emirates and the Etihad."
He added:
"He thought City were fantastic during the run-in and deserved to be champions. I don't gloat. That's what he does."
Mikel Arteta signed Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko from Manchester City last summer. Reports in Sky Sports suggest the Arsenal manager is now eyeing Kyle Walker and Joao Cancelo.