"Absolute tension and fury!" - Liverpool welcome Man City | Football Weekly

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Liverpool v Man City: tension, verdict fallout and divided histories

Football Weekly looks ahead to Manchester City's trip to Liverpool after the Premier League verdict, focusing on the press-conference circus, the Anfield atmosphere, player psychology and the long-term fallout. The panel is split on the match, with one guest predicting a City win and another arguing it is too variable to call; they also stress that rival versions of history will persist whatever happens on appeal.

Manchester City head to, you guessed it, Anfield on Sunday to face Liverpool in their first game back since the guilty verdict dropped. Max Rushden is joined by Barry Glendenning, Nicky Bandini and Paul Watson to breakdown the most hotly anticipated match so far this season. Watch the full podcast episode ► https://youtu.be/uN6hqlyZkrU Subscribe to Guardian Football ► https://www.youtube.com/@guardianfootball?subconfirmation=1 We want your feedback! If you had any thoughts on our coverage of the World Cup, please let us know here ► www.theguardian.com/YTWorldCupSurvey The Guardian publishes independent journalism, made possible by supporters. Contribute to The Guardian today ► https://support.theguardian.com/ Guardian Football Weekly: https://www.tiktok.com/@guardianfootballweekly https://www.instagram.com/guardianfootballweekly/ Website ► https://www.theguardian.com Facebook ► https://www.facebook.com/theguardian Bluesky ► https://bsky.app/profile/sport.theguardian.com Instagram ► https://www.instagram.com/guardiansport/ The Guardian on YouTube: The Guardian ► https://www.youtube.com/@theguardian Football Weekly podcast ► https://www.youtube.com/@footballweeklypodcast Guardian News ► https://www.youtube.com/@guardiannews Guardian Australia ► https://www.youtube.com/@guardianaustralia Guardian Sport ► https://www.youtube.com/@guardiansport

Transcript

Looking ahead to Super Sunday, Liverpool vs Manchester City. Um, I mean Barry, it is a perfect it is a perfect game, isn't it? You couldn't ask for a better game. And as someone who doesn't really get too bothered about, you know, press conferences or pre-match or all that, I think all of it will be fascinating. Yeah, we're looking ahead to Super Sunday, but I think it's going to begin on uh later today or Friday, whenever the press conferences are, because all the Premier League managers will be interviewed. Uh they will all have had time to digest what's happened with Manchester City and figure out what their take is going to be. Depending on whose press conference is what time, some managers will be their quotes will be being fired at other managers and they'll be asked to comment on it like [snorts] the way reporters do with stuff pundits say. Enzo Morescus press conference is going to make for compelling viewing. I would imagine uh if I presume he will be shoved out on his own in a hail of bullets when really you would think some of the execs at Man City Feren uh sorry what's his name >> part on Fen Torres to have to do all this [laughter] >> not far >> I would I would like to hear what Ferrenus has to say about the whole situation god knows I've heard everyone else's take and I'm certainly [laughter] sick of my own listening to my own voice talking about it. But yeah, presumably Moresco will be fired out or sent out into a hail of bullets. That press conference is going to be fascinating. Michartetas presumably will be fascinating cuz he was there for part of the time. Um and then there's the game, the whole buildup. What sort of reception will the city team bus get? a a very uh lively one. I'd imagine the whole world will be watching. Uh I'm sure Liverpool's fans have a few things up their sleeves in the way of banners and uh songs, a new couple of new songs added to the back catalog. And then there's the game itself. How will citys players react to what's going on? probably the best thing they could do is just go out and smash Liverpool off the pitch. But uh the record at Anfield isn't great in the Premier League. I think they've only won two Premier League games there since they started cheating back in 20089. But um yeah, it's going to be compelling real drama and theater >> be great. What's the greatest Mares if Mesa just went you what now? Sorry, I've just [laughter] not been just got me paying attention. Um, and and I was thinking, you know, there will be a player that calls a Man City player a cheat. And I was thinking it will probably be Enzo Fernandez, but then I remembered he plays for Manchester City, so he can't he can't do that. Now, look, I I see you, Nikki, as the voice of reason on all things when I get carried away. Um, so is it even possible to [laughter] >> That's all right, mate. Um, is it even like possible to work out the effects that this will have on on City players? No, it's not. And I there was a part of me and I've been just been called the voice of reason was a part of me that was to have had my conspiracy hat on the whole uh international break. As soon as Harlem was limping out that last game, I was thinking, "Oh, wouldn't it be convenient for him not to have to play for the next couple of weeks and avoid all this? >> No one's available. They've got >> I don't believe that's the case. I don't believe that he is missing this this weekend." But yeah, it's a horrible position for for the players to be in, right? Um I I think that's going to be an incredibly um difficult dynamic. I'm certain people will have judgments on that too and and what they should or shouldn't have known about what was going on and and and about the nature of their contracts. Um but the the whole thing has felt just I don't know like because of the way this international break was so long because it was this un well it's unprecedented over it but something we're not used to having these two weeks together of international football. It feels like the whole thing has just been in this simmering state for two weeks and now we're going to find out. I I really truly don't know what to expect from any of these press conferences. I don't know what to expect from the players on the pitch. I'm certain that players on the pitch are going to say things to each other. Even if they don't believe it, they're going to say things to each other because they know how to get under each other's skin and that's part of the game. Um, so the atmosphere in that in that Liverpool City game is I think the one that all of us are most curious about. But honestly, I think I'm with Bears almost as much curious about what the press conference is going to look like. >> Presses are traditionally very very dull. >> You're right. Shame Eddie How's not still in the Premier League? You know, for your ultimate I'm just a football man. Like like I mean there will be a lot of I'm just here to manage a football club. There'll be so much of that Paul, won't there? Um and like is it possible to see how the game will go? Like like it's just who knows, right? because because of this break as well. It does feel like the season is kind of starting again and we know Liverpool haven't started brilliantly and City have won five from five, but it's it's probably I don't know if it's it's like this break has probably been better for Liverpool than City, right? >> Yeah. But again, there's so many things, aren't there? And they're all kind of hard to pin down. So like you're right. I mean Man City before the break were were untouchable. Liverpool were struggling. Um then you have all this mental turmoil that the Man City players might be going through. You also have this weird thing that they've been away. So you'd think in theory uh Iola is probably thinking a break is not the worst thing for him to you know have a little bit of time. But he hasn't actually got any time with any of his players cuz they're all just away on international duty. So it's not even like he's he's not like we can say oh well Liverpool now will be better able to play the way that he wants them to play because actually they've all just been away. So yeah, I I mean I have no idea what's going to happen. I mean there's even a possibility Man City will just players will just play like, you know, like when a team's already been relegated. They just suddenly play really well. [laughter] >> They'll hit new levels. They'll just become incredibly invincible. >> I think they're going to win. I think this feels like a classic setup where um no question the Anfield crowd is going to be incredibly hot, right? It's going to be it always would be anyway for a game against City. the rivalry they've had, the the fact that Liverpool did have that period of being the team that when City were taking advantage of all this um stuff off the pitch, that Liverpool were the team that still pushed them, that still got um under their skin at times, that still that still made it so hard for them. That that rivalry is already there and exists. Um and Anfield has typically been a tough place for City to go. They did win there last season, but it's been a tough place for them to go. So, I think all of that is going to feed into this feeling of just absolute tension and fury and and an intensity. And I just have this feeling that that's going to end up boiling over more for Liverpool than for City. I think Liverpool are going to be so wanting to to bloody their noses and and and make that statement for their fans that actually ends up going the other way. That's that's my hunch [clears throat] is that it ends up playing actually as a >> an over emotional game for Liverpool and City. Even though they're the team in theory under pressure in all this, I'm not certain it's going to feel that emotional weight to their players. I think their players are almost going to have that the opposite side of it, that chip on their shoulder and us against the world. >> Sure. And you imagine the City fans there will have that in abundance as well, won't they? The PSG owner NASA al Khalify's weighed in on it speaking at the EFC general assembly in Copenhagen. You are using the word cheating but for them they didn't cheat. So who decides the court? I think they have also the right to appeal. So this is not the final decision on Man City CEO Ference Soraniano. He said Ferrron is someone as I said very honest. We respect him very much. Presumably he was talking about Ferris Sorano not his own player Ferren Torres there. Are you um Baz, are you surprised that El Khalifi's uh seemingly come out in favor of City or sort of given him his sort of tentative backing? >> Not surprised, but you know, we can't reiterate this enough. They have been found guilty. They are guilty. It is not up for debate. They have the right to appeal, but as things stand, they are guilty. So it's it's yeah it's not a an issue for debate. >> Fair enough. Um Nikki the comparisons have been made with Juve and Caliopy and and there are there any valid comparisons to be made? I know it's very different circumstances. >> Yeah the circumstances are very different. I don't know in terms of the um the the offenses committed to how much um parallel there is. But what there certainly is going to be is um I think a parallel in the you're going to have a split reality from here on out. I think that's that's the truth that English football isn't ready yet for is that whatever happens with these decisions, whether they end up successfully appealing things or they don't end up successfully appealing things, you're going to have one group of supporters who are absolutely certain that they didn't win these trophies legitimately and therefore they don't count. And you're going to have one group of supporters who don't care and are going to claim those trophies whether or not they get taken away from them. I think that's that's actually like the the grim future that lays ahead for the the Premier League now is you're going to have two alternate histories. The same as happens in Italy where the number of titles that Juventus has won is constantly um repeated differently by different sources um because um one side or the other is not going to accept uh the judgment even even after the final appeals are exhausted. >> So it's good news for Asterics, isn't it? and uh you know and all his mates in Normandy in Gaul or wherever he was. Sorry. >> Certainly the dogmatics in the crowds. >> Yeah. >> I mean this this thing has been likened to the Lance Armstrong cheating which I don't think is a fair comparison but the years Lance Armstrong won his I think seven tour of Frances there. There's no official winner in the record books, but he still has the seven yellow jerseys framed up in the living room of his house or in his podcast studio or whatever. >> I didn't know he a football podcast. You can't Well, I [laughter] mean I I don't What's Lance Armstrong podcasting about? I mean, is it >> Max cycling? >> Of course. All right. [laughter] Sort of. Is it like the best EPO to shove in your calf muscles or whatever? Is he >> No, I don't know if he's still doing. I used to listen to it a couple of years ago. Uh yeah, it was I mean he is very knowledgeable about the sport but >> no he he [laughter] he was doing it with uh one of his lieutenants from that US postal team who was also cheating on an industrial scale. So you kind of have to factor that into the equation when you're listening to them >> comment on other people's cycling abilities. But you don't they don't you don't when you subscribe you don't get given some supplements to take. So you are also juicing while you listen. >> I think it was sponsored by a tequila company. So >> right I see. >> Yeah >> that I mean it would be to be honest harder to win the tour to France if you have to do it on tequila I would say. Um now football weekly Sam Dalling is looking for Man City fans going to the game to speak to on Sunday around Anfield about their experience since the Premier League's guilty verdict came out. If that is you, uh, email us at footballweekly@theguardian.com and, uh, we'll be speaking to Sam about that on Monday.