I’M STILL not willing to write off Manchester City from winning the Premier League title this year.
And yet, on Tuesday night, Phil Foden claimed that top four is what they are aiming for this season.
Troy Deeney isn’t writing off Pep Guardiola and Man City just yet[/caption]
Phil Foden declared City were aiming for the top four after the 2-2 draw with Brentford[/caption]
What the f*** are you on about?
Where’s the confidence of reigning champions?
If City had beaten Brentford, they would have been six points off Arsenal, who are being tipped as Liverpool’s greatest threat.
And with 17 games left, there is only one team, one squad and one manager on the planet capable of putting together a near-perfect run worthy of winning a title and that’s Pep Guardiola and City.
Who in their right mind would bet against that when they’ve done it before?
But, and there is a big but, we’re also in a situation where it has become a taboo to question the great man that is Pep, which in itself is really scary.
He needs to be called out when he is in the wrong and he has got a lot of big decisions wrong this season — including on Tuesday in the 2-2 draw at the Gtech.
City were 2-0 up and cruising. Are you telling me taking off Foden and bringing on James McAtee was the best tactical situation to see out that game?
That’s not a dig at McAtee but is he going to put his foot on the ball, run it into the corner or kick it into Row Z if needs be?
Pep left the far more experienced Jeremy Doku and Jack Grealish on the bench.
His decision-making generally has been bizarre – why is Ederson not starting regularly? Isn’t he your No 1?
Kevin De Bruyne wasn’t getting a kick and now he is starting most weeks.
Why does it feel like there are more disgruntled players in the squad than ever before?
Has Pep’s man-management changed with the underachievement so far this season?
Why is Kyle Walker still at the club if he wants to leave?
Normally, City get transfers done and dusted before you’ve even heard about it. Now, they’re dithering.
Man City vs the Premier League: Q&A
By Martin Lipton
BOTH Manchester City and the Premier League were claiming a win after their legal scrap over Associated Party Transactions.
SunSport sifts the claims to try to explain the latest issues.
What was the case about?
City were furious that Prem bosses brought in new tougher regulations – by the smallest possible majority under League rules – in February. They were aimed at blocking clubs bypassing financial controls by earning “unfair” amounts via sponsorship from a company with the same owners, or selling players on the cheap to teams under the same ownership umbrella.
Why were City so upset?
The Etihad club argued that the rules were illegal and had been deliberately aimed at them by rivals and were both flawed and politically driven. They also branded the “two thirds support” rule that has been part of Prem regulations since its inception as a “tyranny of the majority”
This was an Arbitration Tribunal – explain that?
Under Prem rules, any club has the right to ask for Arbitration if they are unhappy about the regulations or due process. The three retired judges heard evidence in June and their full ruling was distributed to the 20 Prem clubs on Monday afternoon.
And what did they say?
Depending on who you listen to, they either totally vindicated one side or the other. The actual answer is that there were “wins” for both City and the Prem. But it’s your choice which ones meant more.
OK, what were City’s wins?
Maybe the most important one in terms of the repercussions. That both the new rules and the previous version – brought in after Saudi Arabia’s PIF bought Newcastle in 2021 – were “unlawful” as they exclude shareholder loans to clubs in any APT calculations. City also won over their claims that the rulebook prevented them from responding to Prem decisions over whether two proposed deals with Abu Dhabi companies represented “Fair Market Value”, access to the “databank” of comparable deals and the time it took for decisions to be reached.
That sounds pretty big. So what about the Prem’s side?
The key finding as far as the League is concerned is that the Tribunal backed the concept of APT rules as well as the Fair Market Value tests. Additionally, City’s challenges to the actual decisions on the two proposed deals “failed”. Prem bosses insist the “rulebook has been found to comply with competition and public law standards and is an effective and necessary system”.
Is that it, then?
Of course not. That shareholder loan issue is a big deal, given that it is believed owners have loaned around £1.5bn at low or preferential rates across the Prem. Those loans will almost certainly have to be calculated at commercial rates now, unless the owners convert them into shares. But the League is convinced the main thrust of the rules remains valid.
And what will be the impact on the “115 charges” case?
Probably nothing. That is an allegation of breaking the rules, while this matter was City questioning whether one small element of the current rulebook was legitimate. But City are using the same legal team, headed by £10,000 per hour Lord Pannick KC. And the stakes on the bigger case are a great deal higher.
Why didn’t they go big in the summer with signings? Because of the 130 financial rule breaches they have been charged with?
Because the manager’s future was undecided before he signed a two-year deal in November?
I get the feeling Pep is overthinking it, almost double bluffing himself and the club are following suit.
As a result, City just aren’t as tough to beat or nick points off as they used to be and they no longer feel or look like an efficient machine away from the pitch.
Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal were dominant forces and then went off the boil – are we seeing this now with City and Pep?
Maybe it is as simple as losing the best player on the planet in Rodri to a long-term injury, but I don’t buy that.
City have nailed down Erling Haaland to an incredible long-term deal[/caption]
But it’s not just Pep. When you look at City as an organisation this season, it’s been sloppy.
Signing up Erling Haaland until 2034 is great business but as a team and as a club, they have fallen asleep at the wheel.
And because of that, we have heard more excuses coming from their camp in the last three or four months than the past five years.
They have injuries but so does everybody. And look at that squad — world-class talent capable of beating most teams comfortably.
There’s a lot of moaning. Maybe some of the players are not used to the fight because they usually win everything with ease.
They’re not being accountable. They’re not stepping up.
Don’t try and suggest they have an ‘ageing squad’ either. Last season, no one mentioned their ages because they have a terrific squad. This ‘ageing’ stuff is the biggest cop out.
Yes, they have tough games coming up – Chelsea, Arsenal, Newcastle, Liverpool, Spurs and Nottingham Forest by March 8 – but they’re brilliant chances to get back on track.
Read the full article here