With Premier League football returning after a three-week international break, managers of English top-flight clubs have been given their first opportunity to address Manchester City's verdict.
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The Premier League finally returns after a three-week international break that was largely dominated by the headline and story concerning Manchester City, who had the findings of an independent commission published by the Premier League.
That report revealed that the Etihad Stadium club had been found guilty of almost all charges relating to breaches of the Premier League's financial regulations between 2009 and 2018.
A final judgement and possible punishment now remains subject to an appeal, which those at Manchester City lodged almost immediately after the release of the verdict, as they continue to insist upon clearing their name through 'irrefutable evidence' they have available.
In the meantime, Manchester City have challenging commitments on the field, and there is no doubt that the full focus of manager Enzo Maresca and his players will be placed onto the footballing tasks at hand.
That starts with a clash against Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday afternoon, where Merseyside Police are said to have an "appropriate" strategy in place to handle what is expected to be a hostile welcome for the travelling Sky Blues.
Having addressed matters himself in a 16-minute press conference on Friday morning, many of Enzo Maresca's managerial colleagues from across the Premier League have also had opportunity to offer their thoughts on Manchester City's case.
Here is every single word from all other 19 Premier League managers taken from the open broadcast section of their respective pre-match press conferences held in the last 72 hours.
Mikel Arteta, Arsenal
"Obviously I think it's very important that we respect the process, the timelines, and it's still an ongoing process that is not resolved because it's being appealed. And my position, and I think the club's position, is to not make any further comments until this is further resolved."
"Again, and as I've said, I understand the question, where it's coming from. It's a lot of noise around it, it's an ongoing process that is not resolved yet. And I think we need to respect it, and certainly I have to respect that."
"This is for the people that are responsible for managing this process and coming with the right conclusions, and I'm sure it will be done and it will be resolved in the right way. We have to trust that."
"There is a process there, again, that is not resolved. It's ongoing, and we can have a much clearer opinion when it's been resolved. Up to now, I'm not prepared to make any comment."
Unai Emery, Aston Villa
The media were barred from asking questions about Manchester City's guilty verdict at Unai Emery's pre-match press conference on Friday, as per the BBC.
Marco Rose, Bournemouth
"See, I played many times against Manchester City in the Champions League with my former clubs and for me it was always the best thing to challenge with the best players and the best clubs in the world. That's what I felt. And I'm not this kind of guy who blames someone with not enough information. Of course, I hear everything, I read everything, but I don't have all the information and I trust in the guys who are involved in these kind of things and situations, and then we're going to see what happens. But I'm a football coach, I'm not a politician, so I love to be a football coach and it should stay like this."
"It's not about them, it's just about us and I'm focussed on our stuff. We have enough things to do, we need points, and we need to win games. So, yeah, it's about us and not about me and Manchester City."
Keith Andrews, Brentford
“The hope for everybody is that the outcome will be finalised sooner rather than later, for sure. Like I’ve said, I think you’ve got to trust the authorities to come up with the right outcome and when that will be, but obviously we’ll find out.”
Fabian Hurzeler, Brighton & Hove Albion
"I can't control anything from that. The only thing I can really focus on is our preparation, how we are doing, and therefore it's just a distraction that is not in our hands. Hopefully it will be dealt with but, again, it's not my topic and I have enough topics to manage here."
"Lets see how it goes. What I heard is that there's still some ongoing processes and therefore I think it's really, really difficult to say anything about that now. And that's why if there's nothing clear, we should really focus on ourselves, and if there is result, we can speak again."
Xabi Alonso, Chelsea
"For sure there is a decision, but we need to be patient, we need to wait until the final sanctions from the panel. I think that they are independent enough to assess all the situations, and for sure I'm not an expert and whatever I say, whatever opinion we have, they are the ones that have to take it and we have to respect it, and be patient. For sure there will be a moment that we will know, but probably it's going to take a little bit longer."
"First it's the appeal, after we need to wait until the panel announces the actions, and we will see what happens. For us, it's not in our hands, it's something that I think we need to respect that independence from the judicial panel, and lets see what happens within the rules to be respected."
"I don't think (it has been spoke about among the Chelsea players). There's been talk, but you can talk with your friends because we don't have information. Our situation doesn't change. I think we need to be focussed on our own, but for sure we will want to know what's going to happen in the right moment. Until now, I am very respectful if it needs to be handled in a judicial thing, you want things to happen earlier than it normally happens. Patience is important."
"We do our job. That's the only thing that we can think about, that we can control, and in the right moment, we will know how is the situation. But it's not up to us. It's not up to you guys, sorry, not up to the pundits, not to anyone, just respect the criteria and the decision of the panel."
Frank Lampard, Coventry City
"We've all seen the news, it's obviously big news. Man City are appealing the situation, so I guess my reaction is that, right? What can you say when an appeal is going on? I'm not inside the story, I'm outside it completely. I played for Man City a long time ago now for one year, but we'll wait and see what the result of the appeal is and onwards, I don't know the timelines at all."
"(Impact on the rest of the season?) I don't know. I'm outside the loop, I have this job, and my problems, my things that I have to work on, and I always respect it when managers for whatever situation, because there's a lot of things that you don't know. This is obviously something that we do know, they're obviously a huge football club now, with a huge squad of quality players, so we'll see."
"I'm not dodging that question (on whether Manchester City should face punishment now as they've been found guilty). I just don't feel that that's an answer for me to give. The rules and regulations are what they are, right? I don't know the answer to that."
Pierre Sage, Crystal Palace
No questions asked on Manchester City within broadcast section.
David Moyes, Everton
"I have to say that, and I don't know what sort of news it was, I do know one thing; I wasn't here when it was difficult for Everton, I wasn't here when things were bad, but now looking at it from where I'm sitting now, it looks terrible that we've been docked points, we've had to pay some fines, we've been docked all sorts of things. And this feels like not that long ago! But there's other things going on which have been 10 years ago and they've not been dealt with, which I find really difficult. So I hope it's not just Everton that are getting picked on here. I think we get picked on by the referees, but now I think we're getting picked on in every other area as well."
"Manchester City have helped raise the levels of the Premier League by the level of football they've played. And their manager, and the players they've had have been unbelievable. They really have been! And I was laughing when I was speaking to somebody who was saying, 'All the managers who had to go and play against them, we all had to park the bus, because they were that good!' And everybody used to say, 'Hey David, why are you not letting them play, why are you not having a go?!' I was saying, 'Do you see the players they've got?!' So I actually feel for a lot of the managers, it was tough! But they were such a good side, and it was great times to play against Pep's teams because they had so many good players."
Alvaro Arbeloa, Fulham
"I prefer to not make any comment, just in case."
"I'm a football coach, I have to make many decisions about my team - that is, for me, the most important thing. So I am focussed on that."
"I don't care (whether a decision is made quickly). I don't care. I am just focussed on tomorrow's game, that for me is my life, it's the most important thing right now, and I'm not thinking about anything else."
Sergej Jakirovic, Hull City
No questions asked on Manchester City within broadcast section.
Gary O'Neil, Ipswich Town
“You guys probably know me well enough already to know that I’ve spent the last three weeks trying to make sure that we’re ready for Fulham. I’ve not paid too much attention to it. It’s not something that I’m involved in or want to be involved in. Leave it to the guys that are involved in it, Manchester City and the powers that be, to come to the right conclusions and we focus fully on Ipswich and making sure that we’re ready for the games that are coming up. We have an excellent five-game block here that we can attack for the next five weeks and see what we can put on the table. I’m not going to be distracted. I’ve not even given it a second’s thought, to be honest, just making sure the team’s ready to go.”
Daniel Farke, Leeds United
"Not my topic. My topic is football, my topic is sport, and there are more qualified persons to speak about this. It's not my topic."
"I don't know (about its possible impact on the season). There's more qualified persons able to speak about it. I think it's just not up to me, I was not involved in the title race during these years, I had different topics to deal with. So during this time, when Man City won many titles, I think I had just one home game with them with Norwich - we won by the way, so I can't complain too much! It's really not my topic, so I think it's... It also makes no sense if right now everyone in the world wants to have an opinion about this topic. I don't know the details, the background, there's more qualified persons to speak about this, and my topic is football, Leeds United. We have other things to worry about than just the title race, so for that it's not my topic today."
Andoni Iraola, Liverpool
"I think uncertainty is not good for anyone involved. But there is a process ongoing and we have to be patient, like everyone else, and see what happens at the end."
"The thing is, I think they spent how much time reading things in three years, I don't know how much, so we don't know about the situation. I don't think it's fair if we give an opinion for things that I haven't spent time analysing everything, taking a lot of time. They are the ones that have to give the answers. My opinion is not valid because I haven't spent time and I haven't read as much as they have done."
"I think the worst thing probably is the uncertainty, that no one knows what's going to happen. But we have to focus on Liverpool, being the best club we can be, the best team we can be, and that's my challenge."
Michael Carrick, Manchester United
"Very difficult to say, in many ways. I think it's obviously thrown up a lot of questions, some had answers, some haven't. I think as it's still ongoing and we don't know how long it's going to go, there's only so much I can kind of say. But certainly I've got my own questions about it, it's affected me personally in different ways over a period of time. But as the case is going now, I don't know where that stands and how it's going to end up. So we'll just have to wait and see. What I will say is the sooner it gets sorted, I think for everyone's benefit, is essential."
"When you're in sport and in football, I think the strive to win and the emotion and the feeling about winning is a lot of it in the moment. And whether you're successful, you lose, it goes against you, I think that initial beauty of sport and football and trying to win trophies here is a little bit on the journey towards it - and then the finale, does it go for you, does it go against you? And once that's done, there's no getting that back in any direction. And that's the feeling we all crave, coming out on top. That kind of sums it up: whatever is done in the past is done in the past, but in that moment it's how you feel. And in that moment, certainly as a participant, as a performer, and I'm sure the supporters feel the same, that's why we love it so much because of the emotion in the moment."
"Speed is essential. I think that's pretty obvious for me to sit here and say that. There's so many angles to look at from so many different perspectives, but really speed is essential for everyone to be clear, to be able to deal with it, to be able to move on - whatever happens. I think it's unprecedented, it's a unique situation to be in this at this level, with such a huge impact in so many ways. So we all need to know what's going to happen really, I think that's pretty clear."
"It doesn't change how you feel in the moment, whatever way. You can't take that back, so whatever way this goes, which I don't know and I don't really want to speak too much about what way it goes, but all I can say is in the moment you can't take it back! So whether we did end up, I don't even know what's going to happen, something along the lines of something changing (in history), it doesn't change the emotion of that moment. You can't get that back, you won't get it back. That's part of competing, and why there's so many questions to be answered at this point. That's not a question, that was a moment in time that we are going to accept and never get back."
"I think at the moment, as it's still not finalised, I think I'll hold that one (about trophies being reallocated) until later on. I think regardless of anything, a medal - in any sport and history - you get later, it's the moment you strive to achieve and that moment. So a medal here or there, that doesn't bring the feeling when you initially win or don't win. That's essentially what we're all in it for."
Matthias Jaissle, Newcastle United
"As a manager of another club, I'm not able to judge and it's not my job, especially not in my job description to judge that. There are authorities taking care of it, there's a clear process now which we follow, and for us, speaking on behalf of the whole club, it's the right approach to focus on what we can influence, and when it comes down to my job it's what we can influence to win on Monday against Coventry."
"On behalf of the club, we should just focus on what we can influence and this is in general as a club to improve, driving forward, to make that brave journey successful, and for us now in the football department to just focus on what we can do better, what we can influence on the pitch."
Oliver Glasner, Nottingham Forest
"First of all, because we have many TV screens in our training ground, it was 24 hours a day just Man City. I thought, 'Ah OK! This is the only problem in the world we have now?!' It's so big, here in England especially. And I haven't been here when all these things happened or did not happen, I don't know, they appealed so there's no final verdict right now. That's why I don't see any comment on Man City, because I can't, I don't know. But it looks like everybody says now they are guilty, but again there is an appeal and then I don't know, is this the last possible appeal? So then there will be a final verdict, and then I can react on this. But lets say in general, that's what I'm always saying, if, and again please, IF somebody cheats, he needs to get punished. If not, then not. And I think we all hope, for the integrity of the game and the Premier League, the final verdict is spoken soon. But we also know, and I just spoke about it, I think there are thousands of pages to read and I read a book every night and it takes quite long to read thousands of pages, and finding a final verdict takes a little bit of time. We have to be patient, but yes it should be soon. And then, lets see."
"I don't think there's a big impact (on the season) because again, if at the end there is a points deduction or not, there will be an impact. But right now, I don't think, especially not for us. MAYBE for City, but I'm not surprised that Enzo (Maresca) said something in that direction (about confidence in appealing) because that's what the club said last week, that's why they appealed - they feel quite confident that they have done right. And then of course, your manager can't say, 'Oh I'm in doubt'. It would just make no sense, so they have to be aligned, and that's what they are. But I don't think there's a huge impact, for example, this weekend because to be honest it's not a big topic, it's no topic at our training ground. It will be more for the City players because it's then probably it's about their future, so it's a little bit more. But for us, it doesn't matter."
Regis Le Bris, Sunderland
“The relevant authorities have to be relentless, otherwise you lose the value of your competition. So we’ll see."
Roberto De Zerbi, Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur refused to take any questions referring to Manchester City's case.