An advertisement billboard for the betting company Paddy Power, reading 'Welcome to Shamchester', is pictured in Manchester.
An advertisement billboard for the betting company Paddy Power, reading 'Welcome to Shamchester', is pictured in Manchester.
And while a bushel of injuries suffered on international duty to key players up and down the league would normally be the big story, there’s no escaping the must-see game of the weekend: Liverpool vs. Manchester City.
This is the first game since the Premier League verdict holding Manchester City guilty of 114 charges of financial impropriety. The sum total of the charges found City guilty of misreporting over $1.7 billion of revenue to skirt Financial Fair Play rules and further charges of hiding evidence and non-compliance.
The reaction over the past two weeks has been sharp from all corners of the soccer world. Teams have felt City’s financial misgivings meant they lost games, cups, titles, players to the club.
Without the violations, would City have been able entice Jack Grealish away from Aston Villa? John Stones away from Everton? Samir Nasri from Arsenal?
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But above and beyond that there are the teams that finished closely behind City in the years under the charges — Arsenal twice and both Manchester United and Liverpool three times.
The sanctions and punishments are yet to be decided and there will surely be appeals, so who knows how long this will drag on.
But one thing is clear, the club which has been tabbed Sham FC by English media and many rival fans is set for a hostile reception at the home of their biggest rivals during the time in question.
There has been much lamenting the fate and history for Jurgen Klopp’s teams who went toe-to-toe with Pep Guardiola’s City teams, only to minimally fall short. In the future, City may be stripped of their titles, fined massive amounts, face multi-year points deductions that will equal relegation to lower divisions and perhaps transfer bans that would shunt a rebuild.
But none of that will change the legacies of how people would view Klopp’s Liverpool if they had won another three titles — or Manchester United, or Stoke, who lost to them in an FA Cup final. The ripple effect can never be fixed and they can expect that in every ground they go to play at but, for now, Anfield awaits.
City are filled with top-level professionals who have played in hostile atmospheres before, but there have been stories leaking out of various international teams that City’s current players are worried about what could happen. Will they be playing three divisions down next season? Will they face years of deficits they can’t make up? Will the trophies they’ve already won be taken away?
You can’t help but wonder how that impacts their psyche on the pitch, especially on Sunday.
City are currently the only perfect team in the Premiership so far this season with five wins out of five, three points ahead of Arsenal, six points ahead of sixth-place Liverpool.
It’s fair to wonder how many points City will finish with this season, but appeals and lawyers likely will drag this out beyond this season. City vs. Liverpool is always one of the big games, but with the added consequences and questions around this one it’s must-see TV.
Liverpool appear to have lost both Alexander Isak and Cody Gakpo to injury during the break, so they’re wounded coming in as the pair were far and away Liverpool’s two most dangerous attackers so far this season.
Anfield, when it’s riled up, creates an intimidating atmosphere. An early City goal would puncture that.
Liverpool’s new coach, Andoni Iraola, has been trying to teach an aggressive, frenetic style. If his players embrace that, we could see a legendary clash that could shape the shadows of storylines we’ll be seeing for the rest of the season.
Which teams’ stock is up?
Brighton: No club would have hated this extended international break more than the Seagulls. They thrashed Arsenal 3-0 and then had to disperse across the globe for the past couple of weeks. They sit in third with two wins and a draw in their past three and face Sunderland, who have lost two in a row but the last one was a thriller where they matched Manchester City until late.
Brentford: Like Brighton, Brentford have been a pleasant surprise this season. They haven’t lost yet with three wins and two draws, and went into the break off a stellar win against Chelsea. Keith Andrews has the Bees playing an attacking, disciplined style and they don’t shrink against anyone. They go to Aston Villa, who finally got their first win of the season in the previous fixture against woeful Tottenham. Villa have proved they have quality by qualifying for the Champions League, but Brentford have a good chance to prove they’re here for the long haul with a win this weekend.
Everton: They haven’t had the toughest schedule but they’ve been grinding out results. Two wins and three draws with no losses and Hull on tap this weekend. Despite a rough transfer window is this the year David Moyes finally avoids a rough first half and has Everton in contention for European places?
Which teams’ stock is down?
Chelsea: After a pair of wins to open the season two losses and a draw have questions starting already for manager Xabi Alonso. Simply must beat struggling Bournemouth this weekend.
Sunderland: Last year’s darlings spent the majority of their first season back in the Premiership in the top half of the table before they faded a bit at the end and that crash has carried over to this season. While they’ve played well, as evidenced by their battling 5-3 loss at Manchester City before the break, they are coming off two losses in a row and only have one win in their first five games. It’s also going to sting that striker Brian Brobbey, who scored all three against City, looks to be out for a while following an injury with Holland.
Tottenham: Still winless. Still in last place. And they travel to fellow strugglers Manchester United. If either of those squads lose this game you’ll start to hear strong whispers of the first manager fired.
Who is the crisis club?
How can a team that has won every game they’ve played and sit alone in first place be in a crisis? Well, when you’re Manchester City and no one gives you any credit for any shred of success on the heels of historic findings of financial cheating, it’s fair to wonder where the season will end up.
How City’s players respond this weekend will say a lot. Will we see a heels-dug-in defiance? Or do players have new pastures on their mind as they ponder playing teams like Hereford United next season?
This weekend’s Premier League schedule
Saturday: Arsenal vs Leeds; Aston Villa vs Brentford; Chelsea vs Bournemouth; Ipswich vs Fulham; Sunderland vs Brighton; Manchester United vs Tottenham.
Sunday: Crystal Palace vs Nottingham Forest; Hull vs Everton; Liverpool vs Manchester City.
Monday: Coventry vs Newcastle.