They Shouldn't Be Here: Liverpool v Man City Preview
Sunday 11 October | Anfield | Kick-off 4:30pm | Live on Sky Sports
On Sunday, Manchester City walk out at Anfield as league leaders. In our view, they shouldn't be in the league at all.
Guilty, on almost every count
During the international break, an independent commission found City guilty of all 80 charges of financial wrongdoing. It also found them guilty of 34 of the 35 charges of failing to cooperate with the Premier League's investigation. The charges covered inaccurate financial information, undisclosed payments to players and managers, and breaches of both Premier League and UEFA financial rules. They span nine seasons, from 2009 to 2018.
This isn't a club that went slightly over budget. It's nine years of rule-breaking, followed by years of stonewalling the people investigating it.
Why a points deduction isn't enough
Look at the precedent. Everton lost six points and Nottingham Forest four for single breaches of the profit and sustainability rules. City have been found guilty 114 times. If one breach costs six points, no sensible deduction comes close to matching this.
A deduction also lets City keep everything they built during those years: the squad, the reputation and the commercial power. Docking points and waving them on would tell every club that cheating pays, as long as you win enough first. Expulsion is the only sanction that matches the offence and protects the competition.
And remember who paid the price. Every club that finished behind City in those years competed on a pitch that wasn't level. No Red forgets 2018-19: 97 points and still second.
What City should expect on Sunday
A hostile Anfield, and rightly so. Loud from the first whistle, and louder every time Haaland goes near the Kop. Iraola knows what this crowd can do, and he's asked for the fans' help. Make the point loud and clear, but the best answer is three points.
The football
City have won every league game so far. We sit sixth on nine points, six behind them, and a win lifts us into the top four.
Isak and Gakpo are out, and Ekitike is still missing, so it's either young Lewis Koumas up front or Barcola moving inside. There's better news at the back, where Jacquet has shaken off his hamstring problem.
Possible XI: Alisson; Araujo, Jacquet, Van Dijk, Kerkez; Mac Allister, Szoboszlai; Ngumoha, Wirtz, Munoz; Barcola
Our call
Liverpool 2–1 City. Then it's over to the Premier League to finish the job.
Make yourself heard on Sunday. Grab your matchday gear at weareliverpool.ie. YNWA 🔴
Add comment
Comments