1. Carrick ‘personally’ affected by verdict
Michael Carrick has said retrospectively receiving a winner’s medal would not make up for being robbed of emotional moments of glory by Manchester City’s breaches of the Premier League’s financial rules.
Manchester United’s manager was part of the squad that lost out on the Premier League title to City on the final day of the 2011-12 season when Sergio Agüero scored a last-minute winner to secure top spot on goal difference. Carrick and his United teammates were left solemn on the touchline at Sunderland while City, who have been found guilty of breaking financial rules during a nine-year-period between 2009 and 2018, celebrated.
“The emotion, the feeling about winning, a lot of it is in the moment,” Carrick said. “Whether you’re successful, whether you lose, whether it goes against you, that initial [feeling], the beauty of sport and the beauty of football and the beauty of trying to win trophies here, is a little bit on the journey towards it and then the finale, and does it go for you, does it go against you.
“Once that’s done, there’s no getting that back in any direction. The feeling we all crave is coming out on top – that kind of sums it up. Whatever’s done in the past tense is in the past, but in that moment is how you feel 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.”
Carrick was also part of United’s staff under Ole Gunnar Solskjær when they finished second, 22 points behind City, in 2021. City continue to plead their innocence and have appealed against the verdict. If they fail to overturn the independent commission’s ruling, they will probably face a serious punishment.
“It’s affected me personally in different ways,” Carrick said. “But as the case is ongoing 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, the sooner it gets sorted I think for everyone’s benefit is essential.” Will Unwin
2. Liverpool players ‘thinking about next game’ – Iraola
Liverpool’s manager, Andoni Iraola, has called for the Manchester City case to be dealt with swiftly. “I think uncertainty is not good for anyone involved but there is the process ongoing and we have to be patient like everyone else and see what happens at the end,” he said.
“No one knows what’s going to happen. We have to focus on Liverpool and being the best club we can be, the best team we can be. That’s my challenge. My opinion is not valid because I haven’t spent that time and I haven’t read as much as they’ve [the commission] done.
“The challenge of the game is so high that I don’t think players think too much outside of this. They are thinking: ‘I have to mark this player’ or ‘I have to go and deal with this one’ or ‘I have be at this level because the level of the game is so high.’ They will be focused on those things.
“Obviously they will have their own opinions, but I think they will be fully focused on what happens on the pitch.” Press Association
3. Kompany ‘really proud’ of City medals
Vincent Kompany, the former Manchester City captain, insists he is still “really proud” of his success with the club after it was found guilty of breaching Premier League financial rules. The Bayern Munich manager won four Premier League titles and multiple domestic cups during his spell at City from 2008 to 2019.
The former Belgium international was a key figure in City’s dominant era under their Abu Dhabi-based owners and is honoured with a statue outside the Etihad Stadium.
“I played 11 years for the club. I’ve loved all of the years I played for the club and everything we achieved and [did] on the pitch – that’s something I’m really proud of,” Kompany said.
Kompany signed for City from Hamburg just weeks before Sheikh Mansour completed a takeover that turned the club from also-rans to serial winners. Asked about the off-pitch issues at his former club, he said: “Everything else, as a player you’re not a part of that and right now as a coach of Bayern Munich I’m not too much occupied with that topic. I’m preparing the game next week and preparing the game we have tomorrow and everything I have as a coach.” Agence France-Presse
4. Arteta will ‘respect process’ before judgment
Mikel Arteta has insisted the Premier League remains the best in the world despite the ongoing uncertainty surrounding Manchester City’s guilty verdict.
The Arsenal manager, who was an assistant to Pep Guardiola at City for more than three years before taking over at the Emirates in December 2019, was unsurprisingly bombarded with questions about his former club on Friday before Saturday’s lunchtime fixture against Leeds and responded “100%” when asked whether he thought the Premier League remains the best.
“It’s very important that we respect the process,” he said. “I think the timelines and it’s still an ongoing process that is not resolved because it’s been appealed. And my position, I think the club’s position, is not to make any further comments.”
Asked whether he thought the Premier League’s reputation has been damaged, Arteta added: “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. I’m not prepared to make any comments.”
Arteta did confirm that Christos Tzolis is out for a few weeks with a hamstring issue but said he will make a decision on whether Kai Havertz and Ezri Konsa will feature against Leeds. Ed Aarons
5. De Zerbi: my problem is being bottom, not City
Roberto De Zerbi insists he has no time to dwell on Manchester City’s guilty verdict with Tottenham bottom of the table. De Zerbi was a Napoli player when they faced Juventus in the 2006-07 season after Juve were found guilty of match-fixing and relegated to Serie B.
Juventus had an initial 30-point deduction reduced to nine and still won promotion straight back to Serie A. Asked what the experience was like, De Zerbi replied: “I was crazy as a player, I don’t remember my thoughts, just think on the ball, just think on our job.
“When you are a player, you don’t think too much. When you are a coach, the same because the focus is on your players, especially now because we are on the bottom of the table. I have no time to think of the other problems than my team, my club.”
The Spurs manager said the scandal did not change Italian football, and added: “There are the people who have to decide to take the decision, with responsibility, with courage, and honesty, always. It’s not my job. My job is to be a coach. But I love respecting the rules, like all people in our club.”
Sam Cunningham
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