Sports
Manchester City’s success not just down to huge spending, insists former Liverpool player
Ex-Liverpool star, Danny Murphy, insists Manchester City’s success is not just down to their huge spending.
Murphy, in a chat with talkSPORT host Jim White on Monday, noted that “money doesn’t give you passion, energy, tactical awareness, the desire to get on the pitch and give everything.”
Pep Guardiola has spent over £530million on players since taking over at the Etihad Stadium in 2017, winning two Premier League titles and two Carabao Cups.
The club will complete a domestic treble if they overcome Watford in this weekend’s FA Cup final.
Murphy said:
“Man City have got one of the most expensive squads in the world.
“But money doesn’t give you passion, energy, tactical awareness, the desire to get on the pitch and give everything.
“Some people say money motivates players, but no, a huge majority of the footballers I grew up with were players who would’ve played on the Sundays and Saturdays in the parks. People play football because they love it.
“So the money gives you an opportunity to get a good squad whatever level you’re at, but you’ve still got to get those players to work together, to motivate them to do it every week, especially the very rich ones.
“So the manager, the staff, the togetherness Man City have shown for example, money doesn’t create tactical awareness and passion.
“Bernardo Silva doesn’t run around and give everything he’s got and cover every inch of the pitch for money. It’s a desire to be successful at whatever level you’re at.”
Manchester City finished the season on 98 points, just one point ahead of second-placed Liverpool.
Both clubs pushed each other right to the very end, gaining many plaudits along the way.
Murphy added:
“What you get with Pep’s teams and players over the years at Barcelona, Bayern Munich and City, you get a humility.
“[Manchester City coach] Brian Kidd was talking about a lack of egos, the City players, some of them are the best in the world or Europe, they have a humility about them that’s infectious.
“I think it’s like that with [Jurgen] Klopp and Liverpool. That’s why, more and more when you’re doing this show and the media I do, neutral supporters are actually looking at Liverpool and Manchester City and going ‘I kind of like what they’re doing.’”
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