Gary Neville Warns Man City And Maresca To Prepare For “Brutal” Reception Vs Liverpool
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Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville says Man City boss Enzo Maresca must prepare his players for a “brutal day” when they face Liverpool next weekend.
It will be the first game since the club have been found guilty of serious breaches of Premier League Financial Fair Play rules.
Speaking earlier this week about the fixture, Neville said he expects a febrile atmosphere at Anfield and City need to be braced for what they will encounter:
“I think if they want an understanding of how angry the game [as a whole] is going to be, then Anfield will tell them a week on Sunday, like you would never believe. I suspect there may be banners; there’ll certainly be chanting, there’ll be a reception like you have never seen for them at Anfield.”
“The players to be fair that are there will take the brunt of it, so will Maresca, the reality of it is on that day, but it will be a brutal day.”
Man City will have to deal with it at every away ground
Until the appeal is heard and a final verdict is made public, the club and its players will have to manage the situation the best they can.
As Neville points out, away games will not be easy, especially directly after the international break when the news is still fresh in people’s minds.
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Maresca needs to build a siege mentality
Of course, the club’s conduct off the field is not the fault of the manager or the players, but it will be up to them to make the best of a bad situation.
To get results, Maresca would be wise to use an “us against the world” mentality to navigate this difficult period. It will be interesting to see how the team reacts over the coming weeks.