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Shaun Wright-Phillips, son of Arsenal legend Ian Wright, believes his old man got too carried away with the Gunners’ title challenge last season.
Former Manchester City star Shaun Wright-Phillips isn’t so sure next season’s title race will be another family affair.
Wright-Phillips, the son of Arsenal legend Ian Wright, believes his old man got too carried away with the Gunners’ failed bid to beat Pep Guardiola’s Blues treble to the Premier League trophy last time out. And he insists it’s not just new reasoning when he predicts the biggest challenge to preventing City from winning a fourth successive title may not come from the Emirates.
Wright-Phillips, 41, who now works as the club’s ambassador at the Etihad Stadium, dropped into the TV studio to show his father the trophy after Arsenal’s draw at Nottingham Forest confirmed City as champions for a third successive season – and it was decorated with blue and white ribbons.
“To be fair to my dad, he took it very gracefully,” recalled Wright-Phillips, who is helping spread the word about City in Japan and South Korea during City’s East Asia pre-season.
“He had to admit that City deserved it after winning both games against Arsenal. He thought they were great during the run-in and deserved the championship.
“I wasn’t happy – that’s what he does. My dad got a bit carried away earlier in the season so I gave him back a bit when City were good – just like I said they would.
– We are not worried about Arsenal next season because there are so many other teams that have strengthened during the summer. I think the other teams have more chances to try and get back at both City and Arsenal.
“But I think City are incredible. They are so good that people run out of words to describe some of these players. Everyone talks about (Erling) Haaland or Kevin De Bruyne. But if you think of the team as a defensive unit playing with four centre-backs, it is a tactic that has not been seen before in the world of football.
“Pep only sees what others don’t. I’m a City fan and it’s just a case of ‘Pep we trust’. We all follow what he does because it always works.”
Wright-Phillips believes City’s first Champions League win has propelled the club into another stratosphere. All three tour games in Tokyo and Seoul have been sold out and he has been amazed by the rate at which City’s fan base has grown.
Wright-Phillips has excellent opportunities to measure his progress both on and off the court. City were in the third tier when he joined as a 17-year-old and when he returned to the club in 2008 after winning at Chelsea, the Blues were just 12 months away from the takeover that would make them league winners.
Wright-Phillips said: “I wasn’t prepared for what I’ve seen in Japan, but it just goes to show how far this club has come. City players aren’t just stars in England anymore. They’re global superstars – and the fan base is only getting bigger.
– After winning the Champions League, interest in the club has grown enormously. This is how you build a fan base by playing this kind of football and being successful.
Wright-Phillips believes Guardiola’s side will now be remembered alongside Manchester United’s 1999 Treble winners and Arsenal’s 2004 Invincibles. But he believes there is more to Catalan than that.
He added: “It’s an incredible mental challenge to win things, but when you play for Pep you have to be ready for it or you won’t be in his team. It’s not the physical side that’s important, it’s keeping the mental strength, the hunger and the desire to win after success.
“They don’t just want the Premier League trophy. They want everything. I think after winning the Champions League people know this is a great team.
– City, United and Arsenal deserve to be remembered for their actions. But if you look at the point totals over the last 7-10 years, I think the Invincibles would have won the title with the number they had once. This shows how much the standards have improved. I haven’t told my dad yet – that’s my trump card.”
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