Ian Wright has expressed that he doesn’t consider Manchester City a rival to Arsenal, even though recent clashes have sparked tensions. Despite Arsenal’s 5-1 victory over City on Sunday and their current nine-point lead over fourth-place City, Wright believes the two clubs are still not on the same level.
Arsenal, who finished second to City in the Premier League for two consecutive seasons, have closed the gap, but Wright insists City remains “way ahead” in terms of overall progress and success.
The past few encounters between the teams have been charged, with incidents like Erling Haaland challenging Mikel Arteta to “stay humble” and getting into an exchange with Myles Lewis-Skelly.
Wright acknowledges these moments are fueling a potential rivalry but still believes it’s not fully developed. “It’s not a rivalry yet,” he said. “City is more of a rival to Liverpool.”Arsenal’s recent display against City, including Gabriel Magalhães celebrating in Haaland’s face and Lewis-Skelly mimicking Haaland’s goal celebration, shows the growing competitive edge.
Wright, however, argues that Arsenal is simply reacting to the actions of City, who started the tension.Declan Rice, reflecting on the 5-1 result, admits the team had extra motivation, fueled by the fiery encounter earlier in the season at the Etihad. “We had fire in our bellies,” Rice said, emphasizing how important the victory was for Arsenal’s morale.