‘Attack’ on Manchester City

The Manchester City coach travels through the English cities and countryside every day wearing, on his back, a proud banner with the triumphant motto: ‘4-in-a-row’ (‘Four in a row title’). The superiority of the team he leads Pep Guardiola It is insulting to all the English clubs and the Mancunian club wants to praise what he has done and tries to praise it, knowing that it will take a long time to repeat. However, it has a dark process of shadows: 115 alleged financial violations, which began to be judged this week, in the so-called ‘Trial of the Century’.

On the pitch, the Arsenal he leads Mikel Arteta He now has a desire to end City’s winning streak. In sport, he is the best place, with Liverpool, and a strong candidate to dethrone the irrepressible champions, after two seasons where he came very close. They have produced a very effective defense to achieve this, the best in English football. The Gunners will appear on Sunday at the Etihad in Manchester, mentally, morally and physically reinforced to beat them. But off the field, in the offices and stadium boxes, City’s rivals are more numerous.

There is a very bad current opinion against the disgraced champion. And many English club chiefs are adamant that deducting points for City “will not be enough” if they are found guilty of any of the charges of financial irregularities. Although the club controlled by the Abu Dhabi United Group fund pleaded not guilty to all charges, it was the loud noise outside, which spelled punishment for the award-winning Manchester club, that disturbed and made the club to defend itself. Pep Guardiola: “They have already judged us. But everyone is innocent until proven guilty. So let’s see.”

Secret

Premier clubs are frustrated by the secrecy of the hearing at London’s International Dispute Resolution Centre. Many clubs believe that the case should be held in public to provide clarity and act as a precedent for future controls. Relegation in the Premier League is at the extreme of the court’s power. The lack of information shared has angered Premier League clubs, who know that the legal costs of the appeal, if any, as happened in Everton’s case, will reach several million, and will be deducted from their rights in television broadcasting and commercial funding of the clubs.

And the test in the City exceeded all expectations. In one corner is the Premier League, the most popular league in the world and the UK’s successful image exporter. On the other hand, the club that dominated the English league so much, with an unbroken run of four consecutive titles that had never happened before. The hearing, which is expected to last about 10 weeks, will involve some of the best lawyers in the country. The Premier has accused City of not complying with the English league’s funding rules for nine consecutive seasons (2009/10 to 2017/18) and is determined to go all the way so that its authority is preserved. The test also comes at a critical moment, because the Government of Keir Starmer is processing legislation that would authorize a financial regulator, against UEFA’s warnings and threats.

The sporting ‘battle’

At this moment of tension, Arsenal arrive at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester on Sunday, where an overloaded atmosphere is expected in the stands. The Londoners will have another chance to prove their evolution, clinging to their perfection in details, especially in set pieces. After the unexpected blow against Brighton, the Gunners are back again, just two points away, and this is their moment to dethrone City, before the team from Guardiola take the direct. They can be encouraged by the 0-0 scoreline achieved by Inter on Wednesday in the Champions League. City dominated the game and the ball, but lacked depth or success.

Arsenal’s goalless draw at the Etihad in March was also considered good at the time. Then it became insufficient. Already thinking about approaching the 100-point barrier, the Gunners are obliged this time to beat City at their stadium. They still have the strongest defense in the Premier, even if they can’t line up or to Declan Rice (authorized) or their leader and wounded captain, Martin Odegaard. The secret to its possible success is, again, in how to stop Haaland. The Norwegian has already scored nine Premier goals, in four games, an unprecedented figure at the start of the English league, at a record pace, but he will face the best centre-backs in the league, Gabriel Magalhães and William Saliba, rivalry that will inevitably decide the match.

On the field, against Arsenal, and off it, in the London courts, City now find threats and opponents everywhere. They want to dethrone him and what is at stake is to end the proud ‘4-in-a row’ that the ‘skyblues’ are proud of. On the future of the club pending arrangements of Guardiola, Haaland, DeBruyne and Rodrieverything in the air, a desire to destroy the hegemonic Premier team, forced to survive a difficult six months of tests, sporting and non-sporting. Everything now goes on the attack against Manchester City.