Photo by Molly Darlington/Getty Images
Photo by Molly Darlington/Getty Images
Manchester City’s breaching of 114 Premier League financial rules could yet hand Liverpool another Premier League title as the possibility of their titles being stripped is explored.
City have been found guilty on all but one of the charges brought to them by the Premier League between the period of 2009 and 2018, which could potentially see the Reds retrospectively awarded the 2013/14 title. However, with a lengthy appeals process likely to get underway, it could be some time before any decision on punishments is reached.
In the meantime, though, City’s guilty verdict could present Liverpool with a more immediate benefit. As fate would have it, the Reds take on Enzo Maresca’s team at Anfield in the first game following the international break. With the crowd fired up and baying for blood, Andoni Iraola’s players can take advantage and claim a much-needed three points.
Anfield will be right up for Man City clash
Even without the added spice of City’s charges, the game at Anfield on October 11th was always going to be a big one. With Maresca leading his team to a perfect league start so far, Liverpool would love to be the ones to burst the bubble.
After Friday’s news, though, that desire will turn into a red-hot fever from those Reds fans lucky enough to be in the stadium.
Though the financial breaches only go up to 2018, around the time that Liverpool started to become City’s main rivals for the Premier League title, there is little question that the Citizens benefited from their rule-breaking for years to come.
As a result, it is fair to say that Liverpool have possibly been the club most affected of all by what is quite possibly the biggest scandal in English football history.
With that in mind, Anfield will be absolutely rocking, and while that is no guarantee that the Reds will win, players like Virgil van Dijk and Alisson Becker – those who directly felt the full force of City’s financial strength – should have extra fire in their bellies to make sure this one counts.
All eyes will be on Anfield as City face the music for the first time in the Premier League. They have cowered under the lights in L4 so many times in their history, and Liverpool must make sure they are forced to do so once again.
It may be months or even years until this case is finally resolved once and for all. But, in the meantime, Iraola and Liverpool can get a win for every other club in the country and beat them fair and square in two weeks’ time.