City could be ‘relegated champions’ in seismic season

 

Hype and hysteria have always been essential ingredients of the EPL, but this season they’re likely to be off the scale – the Richter Scale.

Seismologists are already predicting a megaquake in early 2025 with the inevitable tsunami warnings.

Pre-shocks could well be felt as early as next month when the 115 charges against Manchester City will finally be heard.

The hearing is expected to take 10 to 12 weeks with – but don’t bank on it – a verdict announced as the season builds to a climax.

Whichever way it goes, insiders are saying, the consequences will be enormous.

Guilty and the four-times-in-a-row (perhaps going on five) champions could be relegated.

Cleared and the whole Financial Fair Play structure will come crashing down.

Not much at stake then, which is why the EPL has been dreading the denouement ever since they charged City in February 2023.

The club vehemently maintains its innocence,

And as the new season kicks off at Old Trafford tonight, 89 days after the last one ended, the case remains the elephant in the discussion room.

It’s not as if there’s a shortage of topics: Klopp’s absence, Ten Hag’s continued presence, Pep’s future, the youngest ever manager, Chelsea’s eight goalkeepers …

But above all that, there’s a growing sense this could be when the apprentice overcomes the master and Arsenal finally topple the champions.

Mikel Arteta was a Grade A student of Pep Guardiola and has followed the great man’s template to a T.

But that is just one of a combination of factors that has City looking a little less convincing.

And they’re getting old.

When Ederson celebrates his birthday tomorrow, he’ll join a core of 30 somethings: Kyle Walker, John Stones, Kevin de Bruyne and Bernardo Silva.

Nathan Ake and Manuel Akanji are both 29 as will be Jack Grealish in three weeks while Rodri is 28.

There has been no major signing apart from Brazilian winger, Savinho, from Girona, and Julian Alvarez has been allowed to leave.

City got a lot (£81m) for the Argentine but he was a capable deputy for both De Bruyne and Erling Haaland last season. They’ll miss him.

Pep has been giving kids a chance but Oscar Bobb, who was predicted to have a breakout season, broke his leg in training this week.

So City may have to spend but with only two weeks left in the transfer window, it doesn’t seem part of the plan.

And it comes as fans are fearing how players will react to this being the final year of Pep’s contract as well as renewed speculation about the court case.

Initially, they shrugged off the charges and produced a masterclass against Real Madrid before becoming European champions not long after they were announced.

They probably will again and many observers doubt whether the EPL has it in them to hit City hard, given how the club are likely to react.

We’ll hire the best lawyers in the world and sue for the next 10 years,

 is how chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak responded when UEFA tried to rein them in.

City went to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), got the ban rescinded and paid a small fine.

Whatever happens, they won’t take it lying down.

On the other hand, if the EPL bottle it, they’ll not have a shred of credibility left.

They have tried to bully Everton and Forest with points deductions for minor offences, but this only ratcheted up the anticipation of what could befall City.

It is why Pep’s men are both firm favourites to win the title and also at short odds in the relegation stakes.

The bookies have City as more likely to go down than West Ham or Brighton.

Arsenal could capitalise if there are any slip-ups on the field, but they look the only ones capable.

If Liverpool had signed Martin Zubimendi, they might have run them close but they now need someone else to step up as the No 6.

Jurgen Klopp will be missed but Arne Slot may get more of a tune out of fellow Dutchman Cody Gakpo and even Darwin Nunez.

If Harvey Elliott has a breakout season and Mo Salah goes out with a bang, Liverpool will be thereabouts.

Despite an injury jinx – now Luke Shaw is out again – Manchester United may have enough for a top four place.

They are buying more astutely but still need to do more offloading.

As for Chelsea, their strong finish to last season could have been the springboard to success: instead, it looks like a cliff they’re about to fall off.

A squad of 46 including eight goalkeepers has even their fans questioning the sanity of the recruitment department.

One wondered, but only in jest, if their real mission was human trafficking.

It’s hard to get excited about Spurs when they belatedly try to replace Harry Kane with Dominik Solanke.

A flop at Chelsea and Liverpool, he’s scored goals for Bournemouth but has massive shoes to fill.

Newcastle must be the poorest ‘richest club in the world’ ever.

Having to sell off players they wanted to keep to meet the Fair Play rules, they find themselves lacking depth and quality.

But they still have Eddie Howe as manager when he might have been given the England job.

They will struggle to get into Europe where Villa might surprise but perhaps at the expense of their league position.

West Ham have bought well, have a top manager in Julen Lopetegui and could enjoy a return to Europe.

Other clubs to watch are Brighton – mainly because of their 31-year-old German coach Fabian Hurzeler – and Crystal Palace who had a storming end to last season under Oliver Glasner.

As for the drop, with Leicester facing a points deduction, it may well be the three promoted clubs who go down – like last season.

But an awful lot will depend on the case with City.

If they’re found guilty, it could unleash a barrage of lawsuits and not just from City.

Other clubs who consider they were unjustly deprived of trophies or points or even relegated may pile in.

If they’re cleared, it will be a spending frenzy.

Either way, it will be off the scale. - FMT

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.