Manchester City
Tuchel says Manchester City verdict has become an England talking point
Tuchel says Manchester City’s guilty verdict is being discussed in England camp during the break.
Thomas Tuchel has acknowledged that the guilty verdict against Manchester City has spilled into England camp discussions during the international break.
The England manager said the situation is being talked about openly among his players, with uncertainty over possible punishments continuing to hang over the club. A range of sanctions has been suggested, some of which could have serious consequences for the team and the players who represent it.
Tuchel said the matter has naturally entered everyday conversation around the squad. “I think it is a distraction,” said Tuchel, whose England roster includes Marc Guéhi and Elliot Anderson after left back Nico O’Reilly withdrew from injury. “It is. Let’s say it is a subject. If it’s a distraction, I don’t know.
“It is of course a topic and we speak about it at dinner and at a table of eight or 12 people. We speak about it at breakfast. I know the Man City players get a lot of messages and phone calls and feedback about it.
“Are they worried or concerned? I think that would be a very human reaction if you don’t know what’s going on for the club that you signed. They’re still young. They’re ambitious. They’re told they are totally innocent and don’t know what’s going on. It is a subject.
“I am again not sure if it’s a distraction. I don’t see it when I see them in my meetings. I don’t see it how they behave with other teammates, and I don’t see it in training being a distraction. But it’s a topic. How can’t it be?”
City have appealed the verdict and continue to insist on their innocence. No timetable has been set for any punishment, and the next legal stage with the Premier League may yet shape what happens.
While the players themselves would not be directly punished, the wider effect could be significant. Expulsion from the Premier League would leave them in limbo, while a points deduction or relegation could alter both earnings and future careers.
The issue is also being discussed beyond England. Players are away with Argentina, France and Uzbekistan, while Wales midfielder Ethan Ampadu, of Leeds United, said the subject has reached that camp too. “Everyone has talked about it,” Ampadu said.
Analytics & Stats
Premier League Gameweek 6: the standout performers by FotMob rating
FotMob ratings highlighted the top performers from a strong Premier League Gameweek 6 return.
After a three-week international pause, the Premier League resumed with a sixth round that produced a strong spread of individual displays. Using FotMob’s player ratings, here is a rewritten look at the weekend’s top 10 performers.
Declan Rice earned an 8.3 in Arsenal’s 2-1 comeback win over Leeds United. The midfielder was central to the result, posting a match-high 89 touches, adding 10 defensive contributions and producing the kind of subtle quality that made Bruno Guimarães’s winning goal possible.
Chelsea also featured heavily. Morgan Rogers, rated 8.3, scored the Blues’ second in their 5-1 win over Bournemouth and continued to settle quickly at Stamford Bridge. His dribbling stood out, while a cross-cum-shot helped take him to four Premier League goals in six games. He also recorded a match-high 13 defensive contributions.
Crystal Palace’s 3-1 victory over Nottingham Forest included strong showings from Yéremy Pino and Adam Wharton, both on 8.3. Pino got on the scoresheet and created the most chances in the match with three, while Wharton supplied an assist from a corner and combined control with discipline, winning 75% of his ground duels and 100% of his aerial battles without conceding a foul.
Jérémy Doku changed Manchester City’s 3-0 win over Liverpool from the bench, yet still led the match in dribbles with five and chances created with three before finishing with a superb strike. Elliot Anderson, rated 8.5, provided relentless energy and creativity, capped by the assist for Doku’s goal.
Rayan Cherki was the top-rated City player against Liverpool at 8.6, ending the scoring with a goal that summed up his flair and confidence. João Pedro led the weekend with an 8.8 after two goals for Chelsea against Bournemouth, doing his job in the physical contest and still making a decisive attacking impact from 25 touches.
Liverpool
Iraola questions Gravenberch booking after Liverpool’s defeat to Manchester City
Iraola hit out at Gravenberch’s first yellow after Liverpool’s defeat to Manchester City.
Andoni Iraola was left frustrated after Liverpool’s 3-0 Premier League defeat to Manchester City, focusing his anger on Ryan Gravenberch’s red card and what he felt were soft decisions from referee Chris Kavanagh.
Liverpool were already under pressure when they conceded three times in a 13-minute spell after going down to a numerical disadvantage, and Iraola argued that Gravenberch’s first yellow was far too harsh. He also suggested the standard applied in the match should be carried through the rest of the season.
“I think the first foul of Ryan is never a yellow card, never,” said the Spaniard. “These kinds of games, just a stomp on the big toe, or something minor. He doesn’t even call the foul straight away. He lets bit go, I think Elliot Anderson does a couple of steps. He decides to go down. I don’t know why after he shows the yellow card, because it’s not a situation where it leaves advantage.
“We had nine players behind the ball. It’s like they had a lot of, you know, it was in the middle of the pitch, no danger there. And then you put, as a referee, yourself in trouble, and also you put us in trouble.”
His irritation was not confined to that incident. He added: “Also, at the beginning of the game, yellow card of Ronald [Araújo], I know he complains, he does this. But in these kinds of games, if you are going to start after a handball of [Marc] Guéhi, the punishment is for Ronald complaining.
“You put it straight away at the beginning of the game, the right back with a yellow card. I think you are in the textbooks, yes, perfect. He complains, you can show a yellow card, but then I will be very careful all the season. Every time someone complains, it has to be a yellow card.”
Gravenberch’s second booking, for pulling down Doku in the 62nd minute, was described as a clear yellow. But the first caution remained contentious, with the Dutchman booked in the 47th minute for contact that appeared minimal after he tried to pull out of the challenge. Speaking with Sky Sports, former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher also disagreed with Kavanagh’s first booking decision.
Manchester City
Settlement Talks Collapse as City Hold Their Line on Verdict
City reportedly rejected a settlement route before their guilty verdict, instead backing an appeal.
Manchester City reportedly explored a financial settlement with the Premier League before the guilty verdict was made public, but the discussions did not progress. According to Bloomberg, the two sides had been in talks over a substantial payment that could have brought the dispute to a close. That prospect disappeared quickly for one basic reason: City would not accept wrongdoing.
The collapse of those talks came just before the Premier League confirmed City had been found guilty of inflating their finances by £900 million ($1.2 billion) between 2009 and 2018. Any punishment is expected to go well beyond a straightforward fine, leaving the club facing the possibility of sanctions that could still prove significant.
This outcome sits alongside a long-running public position from the club. Since the charges were first brought nearly four years ago, City have consistently maintained that the matter would eventually be resolved in their favour. They have repeatedly said they possess “irrefutable evidence” to support their case, but the panel examining that evidence rejected their argument and found major rule breaches.
Even after the verdict, City’s stance has not shifted. The club continue to insist on their innocence, while manager Enzo Maresca echoed that confidence in his first press conference since the decision, describing the appeal as a matter of “when,” rather than if, the club succeed.
If City overturn the verdict, there would be no sanctions at all. Their refusal to contemplate a settlement suggests the club remain convinced the final outcome can still be changed.
