Success is synonymous with Manchester City. The Premier League, FA Cup, Champions League, Club World Cup: you name it, and City won it. In fact, over the past decade, the Blues of Manchester have clinched a staggering 17 trophies, all under the guideful eye of one Pep Guardiola.
Yet, much of their success gets reduced to one mere factor: money.
Now, there’s no beating around the bush, City has indubitably splurged money over the years. But, which major club has not? Look no further than their cross-town rivals Manchester United for perspective.
United’s shambolic demise and failed attempts to regain lost glory over the past decade, occurring in tandem with City’s meteoric rise to the top, only saw a mindless and clueless board oversee the hiring and firing of countless managers, within just the period of Guardiola’s tenure in City so far, with little to no success to show for their exorbitant (and comparatively unsuccessful) spending habits, which far outweigh City’s.
Money surely talks yet it only stutters when utilised recklessly (case in point, United).
So, to pin Manchester City’s success merely on their spending habits would be immensely reductive. And that is exactly what former City winger Shaun Wright-Phillips echoed as well.
Wright-Phillips, who is currently in India as a part of City’s Trophy Tour, highlighted how City’s dominance was built over a little more than the last decade, not merely with money, but with clear-cut intention and execution to rehaul the club at all levels.
‘I personally don’t think you could buy the Premier League. I honestly don’t think it’s possible to just throw in money and buy the trophy. I mean, just look at United, who’ve spent more than City in the last 10 years and nothing’s really percolated,” Wright-Phillips stated in an interaction with News18 Sports.
“I think a lot of it has to do with the structure. When the new owners came in and took over the club, they had a structure in mind, almost like a blueprint, and they followed the blueprint, and it worked.
“They’ve got the manager, and then it’s not just the manager, it’s the staff behind the scenes as well. The only thing is that nobody those staff, the ones who work silently. People don’t know what they’re doing. But it’s people like them within the club. And obviously, you have the players that have been brought in. Those who gel together, and are almost one big happy family. I think if you can get everybody to come together as such, then trophies will come.”
One integral part to all of City’s aforementioned success has been none other than Pep Guardiola.
The Spaniard, who left Bayern for Manchester in 2014, came into the club and has instilled a sense of identity and competitiveness that has taken the Premier League, and recently Europe as well, by storm. So much so that winning the coveted Premier League title regularly has almost become customary.
“I just think we’re lucky to witness a man like him doing what he’s done. Not just to the Premier League, to the footballing world, down to grassroots women’s football, and everywhere,” Wright-Phillips lauded Guardiola.
“The way he does it, the system, the way he plays, all of it. The risk is high, but if you teach the players well how to do it, as well as what they already know, the rewards are great.”
And success sure has followed City, who secured a quadruple last season, as they breezed their way to a historic fourth PL title in a row.
As part of the Champions 4-In-A-Row Trophy Tour, Manchester City fans will now have the opportunity to celebrate the club’s success and have photos with the Premier League, FIFA Club World Cup, and the FA Community Shield, along with Shaun Wright-Phillips himself as well at Vegas Mall, Delhi on Sunday 22 September.
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