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"Mark is Wright furious"
Mark
Hughes has hit back at Sir Alex Ferguson by insisting United
deliberately targeted Shaun Wright-Phillips in the Manchester derby.
Ferguson
accused City fans of contributing towards Cristiano Ronaldo’s red card
during last Sunday’s explosive showdown at Eastlands.
And the
United boss has been vocal in his complaints that other teams single
out Ronaldo for rough treatment in an effort to kick him out of games.
But
City boss Hughes has claimed Wright-Phillips was the victim of a string
of ‘blatant challenges’ during their 1-0 defeat at United’s hands.
Four United players, including Ronaldo, were booked by referee Howard Webb for fouls on Wright-Phillips.
And he misses tonight’s home UEFA Cup clash with Paris Saint-Germain with a knee injury he suffered in the game.
Hughes said: “Teams will try to stop Shaun because he’s a top player and a big threat to any side.
“What
has really struck me about Shaun’s play is the amount of times he’s in
tight situations with a number of players around him, and he comes out
with the ball.
“Was he targeted by United? I’ve said as much.
“United were down to 10 men and on occasions we were looking to break quickly.
“They were quite blatant challenges and all (bookings) were warranted.”
With
City guaranteed a place in the last 32, and a Saturday lunchtime match
at Fulham looming, Hughes will not risk Wright-Phillips.
He
added: “It’s not worth it. Shaun is too important to us. We’ve got a
big game at the weekend and we need to make sure he is OK.”
Brazilian
goal machine Robinho, who has a sore ankle, is also expected to drop
out, while Micah Richards is a doubt with an ankle problem.
Although
City have qualified for the next stage after wins over FC Twente and
Schalke, Hughes wants his team to keep up their 100 per cent group
record. Paris Saint-Germain – rooted to the bottom of the table with
one point from their first two matches – need a result.
Hughes said: “It’s important for us to win the group.
“We know Paris Saint-Germain are a good side, but they need a result.
“Whether the UEFA Cup is high on their agenda, we will have to wait and see.”
The Sun
"Sparky admits: Robinho's right"
MARK HUGHES has agreed with Robinho’s startling criticism of Manchester City.
The
Brazilian superstar launched a shock attack on his own team — as
revealed by SunSport yesterday — branding them losers for not having a
winning mentality.
But, instead of being hit with a fine for his outspoken comments, Robinho found a surprise ally yesterday ... his own manager!
Boss
Sparky, whose side take on Paris St Germain in a UEFA Cup clash,
admitted: “What he is talking about is that a winning mentality has to
be learned.
“You have to understand what it takes to win games, week in, week out, that is what he is talking about.
“All clubs aspire to having a winning mentality and we are no different in that respect.
“We
are trying to build a focus in the team, and a strength — physical and
mental — in the team in order to help us win on a consistent basis. It
is something all the top four clubs have because they are used to
winning week in, week out.
“We are not used to it at this point
in our development but it will come because as we get better that
mentality will be more robust.
“At the moment we are finding that difficult — but that is not because of a lack of effort or goodwill.”
Robinho
escaped punishment for his comments which came just a week after his
fellow countryman Elano spoke out over his lack of first-team chances.
Among other things Robinho, 24, said: “City have good players, but the mentality of a small side.
“What they lack is the mentality of champions.
“They are content with little, just a draw might be good enough.”
Hughes insisted he will address his squad if there are any problems about what has been said.
But
the Welshman remains convinced that the £32.5million star is happy at
City and committed to the club he joined in a shock move from Spanish
giants Real Madrid back in August.
Hughes said: “Robinho is a
big part of what we are trying to do here. He has had a big impact and
the comments that he has made are not going to change anybody’s opinion
of how well he is doing.”
Robinho also suggested a couple of
transfer targets that Hughes should look at when the transfer window
opens in January — Kaka and Ronaldo.
The Eastlands chief joked: “I noticed they are all Brazilians by the way!
“I think he was being a bit tongue-in-cheek there.
“He likes to surround himself with his friends as we know but I don’t think we should place too much emphasis on that.”
Robinho
is likely to be rested tonight as City take on PSG with their place in
the knockout stages of the UEFA Cup already guaranteed following two
wins out of two in Group A.
His fellow Brazilian Jo will be given a chance to start against the French side after a slow opening to his City career.
The 21-year-old has scored just three goals in 13 games since his £18million move from CSKA Moscow during the summer.
And he has lost his place in the first team to Benjani in recent weeks.
Hughes said: “He’s a young player and he has come into a much stronger league than he has been used to.
“It takes time. I think it is harder for forward players to integrate straight away.
“Obviously, Robinho has been able to acquit himself very well but then he is a more experienced player.
“Jo has found it a bit of a struggle. But he is working hard in training, trying to do the right things.
“He is a young player with potential, we knew that when we brought him here, and he will get better.
“At this moment in time in certain games I’ve got other options and those are the ones I’ve gone with.
“But he’s still a big part of what we are doing here.”
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