Manchester City’s Jack Grealish suggests that Manchester City are held to a higher standard by the media than Arsenal, despite their status as one of the richest clubs in the world and the relentless criticism Arsenal receive in the press.
If anything, it could be argued that the press aren’t hard enough on City.
In a recent interview, Jack Grealish of Manchester City criticised the media’s treatment of his team compared to Arsenal.
He argued that Manchester City, despite being one of the richest clubs in the world and having spent more money than any other team, is held to an unfairly high standard, demonstrating that he clearly never reads anything the press write about Arsenal.
Grealish pointed out that after a minor dip in form, including three draws and a loss, City were portrayed as being in a crisis.
In contrast, he feels Arsenal receives more lenient coverage by the media which is, as you know, total nonsense.
It was not Pep, for instance, the press were determined to target because of his touchline behaviour, to give just one small example.
Grealish highlighted Manchester City’s recent results against teams like Chelsea, Liverpool, Tottenham, and Aston Villa, noting City’s single loss in these matches.
He contrasted this with Arsenal’s performance against the same teams, where they also failed to secure wins.
His frustration, although misplaced, was evident as he described the imagined disparity in how the two clubs’ performances are judged, stating, “We lost one game in four and we played four brilliant teams (Chelsea, Liverpool, Tottenham and Villa). Look at Arsenal. Did they beat Chelsea? No. Did they beat Villa? No. Did they beat Spurs? No. They didn’t win against those teams. But then we didn’t win… it’s, ‘City are in a crisis, blah blah blah.'”
He emphasised that despite the perceived crisis, Manchester City are only four points off the Premier League’s top spot and are set to compete in the Club World Cup in Saudi Arabia, aiming to confirm their status as the world’s best club.
This comes after their impressive 2023 trophy haul, which includes the Premier League, FA Cup, Champions League, and UEFA Super Cup.
I’ve no idea why Grealish thinks this means his team should not be held to a higher standard.
If anything, a point could be made that, until last season, City have been vastly underperforming yet got significantly less criticism in the media than Arsenal by some distance.