Wright-Phillips backs Man City to turn things around

Shaun Wright-Phillips has backed Manchester City to turn around their form and refused to rule them out of the Premier League title race.

City were beaten 2-0 by Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday, with Cody Gakpo and Mohamed Salah scoring the goals for the rampant Reds.

Pep Guardiola's side are winless in seven games in all competitions and have now lost their last five league matches.

Sunday's defeat leaves them 11 points behind Liverpool after 13 games, with their title hopes hanging by a thread. The Opta supercomputer only gives City a 4.3% chance of retaining the title.

But former City winger Wright-Phillips believes his old club still have a chance if they rediscover their “addiction to winning”.

He told Stats Perform: “I have a lot of confidence in it [in Man City]. I've been lucky enough to have been at the pre-season camps over the last two years and seen the mentality of not only the players, but the manager, the coaching staff and even the staff behind the scenes.

“They've set such high standards for themselves in terms of what they've achieved over the past four years that every dip feels like something is really wrong. But many players, like some on other teams, didn't have a full preseason and still trying to get minutes and get fit.

“Pep rarely makes excuses. He deals with the hand he is dealt and tries to find solutions. But with players coming back into the group, like Kevin De Bruyne getting minutes and Jeremy Doku brightening up the game, you can see the threats see. are still there.

“The opportunities will come. And with a man like Erling Haaland up front, I don't think they will have a big problem.

“It's just about getting that first win, regaining that feeling, the hunger and the addiction to win. Once they do that, I think they'll be fine.”

Guardiola faced cries of 'get fired tomorrow morning' from Liverpool fans on Sunday but smiled through it before raising six fingers representing his six Premier League titles.

He also did the same towards the traveling City fans at the end of the match.

“I think it's brilliant,” said Wright-Phillips. “These kinds of things are good for the game. It's not that he's arrogant, and it's not the Liverpool fans who are a nuisance.

“I've played at Anfield and it's a tough ground to go to, but I've always laughed with the fans at what they say.

“If I was sitting on the bench I would turn around and just laugh about it. They make good jokes, and as soon as Pep reacted they laughed, and it kind of went away.

“It shows there is mutual respect. There wasn't much more they could have sung about Pep, other than something funny, because what he achieved in the game – period, not just in the Premier League – is phenomenal.”

City hosts Nottingham Forest play their next Premier League match on Wednesday.