Five from five, and nobody is talking about it
Crystal Palace 1–4. Coventry 1–0. Porto 0–2. Old Trafford 0–1. Sunderland 5–3. Five matches, five wins, 15 points, top of the Premier League with a goal difference of +8. City have conceded three in a home game and still walked it. That is the team nobody wants to write about this week.
You know why. A verdict landed. City were found guilty in 114 of the 115 charges (7). On the pitch, nothing is broken. Off it, everything is in play.
The sanction is the whole story now
One expert has already put a number on it: a €60m fine and a 50-point deduction (2). Fifty points would end the season in September. The club disagrees and has appealed, with £900m reportedly at stake (12). Duncan Castles has warned that exclusion from competition is on the table (21), which is a wider door than relegation.
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The appeal will take months. The uncertainty will not wait that long. Nobody at the Etihad can plan a squad, a budget or a contract while the punishment is still a rumour with a decimal point.
The vultures are already moving
This is the part fans should watch closest. Rivals are working on moves for City's leading academy prospects, taking advantage of the open question over the club's future (3). Chelsea are monitoring Rayan Cherki (17), and Cherki could push to leave if City go down (4). Barcelona are circling Josko Gvardiol (6) (9). PSG are now the best-placed club to sign Erling Haaland, ahead of Real Madrid and Barcelona (11) (20).
A relegation clause is a rumour. An academy raid is happening. The first one you can argue about. The second one you can see on a training pitch.
There is a fresh investigation too. The owners were given a 10-year right of first refusal over certain council-owned land in Manchester, according to The Times (14). That is a separate file, but it feeds the same mood.
What to watch at Anfield
Liverpool away on Sunday 11 October, 17:30 CEST. Then PSG at home in the Champions League on Wednesday 14 October. Pep Guardiola will be at the Etihad for that one (13).
Liverpool is the test because it is the one fixture that forces the table to speak. City have won five from five and can make it six at the ground where the last title was decided. Do that, and the appeal stays a legal story for one more week. Slip, and every headline writes itself.
