- Man City were taken over by Arab owners in 2008 and have been successful
- They are currently unbeaten this season and have won 15 league games in a row
- Arsene Wenger was asked to compare run with his 2003-04 Invincibles side
- Arsenal boss said his side had ideas, but Manchester City have ‘petrol and ideas’
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has taken a sly dig at the oil-rich owners of Manchester City, claiming that ‘petrol’ has helped the club’s unbeaten run this season.
The Etihad side are top of the Premier League and have won 15 consecutive games on their way to the summit – a new record.
At his press conference on Friday, Wenger was asked to compare this season’s City side with his infamous ‘Invincibles’ in the 2003-04 season.
Arsene Wenger took a dig at the oil-rich owners of Manchester City at his press conference
‘We had no petrol and ideas,’ he commented. ‘They have petrol and ideas, so that makes it more efficient.’
Manchester City’s owners are based in Abu Dhabi, a country whose economy relies heavily on their oil business.
Since their arrival at the club in 2008, City have progressed hugely, winning the first division for the first time since 1968 in 2012, before going on to secure the same triumph in the 2013-14 season.
There have also been FA Cup and League Cup triumphs, while Arsenal have struggled to keep pace at the top in the Premier League.
There have been rumours in recent weeks that Mesut Ozil will leave for Manchester in January too, to City’s bitter rivals United.
Wenger, though, was confident of keeping one of his star men at the club.
‘We have never been approached by Manchester United,’ he insisted. ‘I don’t know how that came up.
‘That is something that has been created. [He’ll stay] until the end of the season, the rest is open.’
