The Manchester City manager, Roberto Mancini, recently accosted the Manchester City player Wayne Bridge for, apparently, seeming to be happy and content at being nothing more than a paid squad member at the Manchester club. Wayne Bridge never features, is rarely even on the bench, and is not highly valued by his coach. By all professional standards one would expect Wayne Bridge, once one of the best left backs in the world, to be stamping down his manager’s door and asking for a transfer away from the club. Only this has not happened at all. Wayne Bridge appears quite content to stay at Manchester City and collect his gargantuan wages.
The reasons for this, however, are not so clear cut. According to Roberto Mancini’s insinuation it is because Wayne Bridge lacks motivation and is content to merely collect a pay check. According to Wayne Bridge, however, it is more to do with the fact that Roberto Mancini simply ignores him, despite his willingness to play for his employers. Wayne Bridge stated that even when he was at Chelsea, competing with Ashley Cole for the left back position – a player whom at the time could very well be considered the best left back in the world, as Wayne Bridge himself affirmed – he was still playing on occasion and considered a valued member of the squad. At Manchester City he is not. He often finds himself training with the reserves or youth team players, and even when there is an injury crisis, of sort, he is still nowhere near the first team. This claim is validated when we consider Pablo Zabaleta’s recent inclusion in the team at left back against Arsenal. Pablo Zabaleta ended up performing admirably well against the pacey Theo Walcott but the Argentinean Zabaleta is a utility player whereas Wayne Bridge is a left back specialist. Zabelata was chosen. Gael Clichy was injured. Aleksander Kholarov, the other left back, was also injured. Wayne Bridge was still not called up to the match day squad.
Wayne Bridge has said his manager doesn’t ”know me very well”. Wayne Bridge, once a player who appeared frequently and consistently for England, also claimed that his manager has a very distant relationship with all the Manchester City players. Wayne Bridge also said he doesn’t cause any type of trouble, he ”is not that kind of character” . The war of words began when Roberto Mancini questioned Wayne Bridge’s professionalism after highlighting the fact, or claim, that Wayne Bridge rejected a move to Celtic and other high profile clubs.