Manchester City march on with title charge clouded by financial case

Manchester City will attempt to keep their perfect Premier League start rolling at home to Ipswich Town on Oct 16, with uncertainty over their punishment for financial rule breaches continuing to hang over the leaders.

Enzo Maresca’s men have won their opening six league games and sit three points clear of Arsenal, making a fine start on the pitch while their future off it remains unresolved.

An independent commission found City guilty of 114 of the 115 charges brought by the Premier League. City have denied wrongdoing and have lodged an appeal.

The extraordinary backdrop has done little to derail City’s domestic campaign. They underlined their strength with a 3-0 victory at 10-man Liverpool on Oct 11.

They did lose 4-2 at home to holders Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League three days later, but return to the Etihad Stadium to face an Ipswich side sitting 10th on nine points.

Former Manchester United defender Gary Neville said the uncertainty over City’s eventual punishment had created wider frustration around the league, with the club continuing to win while the significance of those victories, with potential sanctions still to come, remained unclear.

“This is not good for the Premier League, this is really bad for the Premier League – it’s going to continue for a few months,” Neville said on Sky Sports. “Up and down the country, (there’s) a lot of annoyance that they see this team win football matches; it’s just not going to be enjoyed.”

For champions Arsenal, who demolished Lille 3-0 in the Champions League on Oct 13, there is little room to surrender points if they are to keep pace in the title race.

The London side sit second on 15 points and visit Nottingham Forest on Oct 18 knowing any slip could allow City to open a significant early gap. Forest are 15th with five points.

Meanwhile, fellow London side Chelsea have been hit by an injury to defender Reece James, with manager Xabi Alonso saying the Englishman will be out for more than two or three weeks, having undergone surgery on a knee injury.

“We are disappointed, especially for him,” Alonso said on Oct 16. “In the last training he picked up an injury... but now the surgery has been successful.

“We wish him the best recovery. We don’t set timelines, but he will be out for several weeks.”

The Blues, who thrashed Bournemouth 5-1 on Oct 10, visit Everton on Oct 17.

In another game on Oct 17, Liverpool will arrive at Brentford with a different kind of momentum after a spectacular 6-3 Champions League victory at LASK on Oct 14.

The night in Austria belonged to Bradley Barcola, whose hat-trick represented his first goals for Liverpool after going scoreless in his opening six appearances for the club.

The French forward, whose frustrating start with the Reds had drawn increasing scrutiny, struck twice before half-time and completed his treble after the break as Liverpool made it two wins from two in Europe’s premier club competition.

It was a badly needed breakthrough for 24-year-old Barcola and a welcome response from Liverpool after their humbling home defeat by City.

“Now it is a matter of finding the best condition and best connection with teammates, the level of understanding, the work of everyone, when to attack the spaces,” Reds manager Andoni Iraola added on Barcola’s adaptation.

“The more he plays with us, the more he plays with his team-mates, the better he will become.”

Liverpool have been far less convincing domestically. They are ninth on nine points and face a Brentford side sitting a point above them in fourth.

There are also question marks over the fitness of Cody Gakpo, Alexander Isak and Dominik Szoboszlai. The trio have missed the last two matches with injuries picked up on international duty.

Iraola also revealed that centre-back Giovanni Leoni’s return from a long-term knee injury has been further delayed.

The Italian suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury on his debut for the club in September last year. AFP, REUTERS