Manchester City fan Adam Howarth has told the ECHO he would accept the harshest sanctions if the club's appeal against the independent commission's guilty verdict fails, and has predicted a 1-1 draw at Anfield on Sunday.
City travel to Liverpool for the 4:30pm kick-off just days after being found guilty of all financial charges levelled by the Premier League for the period between 2009 and 2018. Sanctions have not yet been announced, with speculation ranging from a fine and points deduction to expulsion from the league - the latter requiring a 14-strong cohort of Premier League clubs to support the decision.
Fan's reaction to the verdict
Howarth, who runs the Instagram fanpage 'MCFC and Proud', said he is still processing the verdict and is uncomfortable with rival fans telling him how to feel. He admitted the findings are 'quite damning' given his previous trust in the ownership.
"Throw the book at us, if our 'irrefutable' evidence doesn't help us. I'll be supporting those 11 players in sky blue shirts no matter what the division, just as my dad and his dad did," he said.
Business as usual on the pitch?
Despite the off-field turmoil, City have won every game in all competitions since a 3-0 Community Shield defeat to Arsenal in August. Howarth hopes the club can put the verdict aside and focus on football, suggesting adversity could pull the squad together as it did in February 2023 when the charges were first dropped.
He acknowledged concerns about players' mental state after costly errors for their national teams, but believes they will "pull together and play for each other" as they did in the 1-0 win at Old Trafford with 10 men.
Maresca's impact and key battles
Howarth praised Enzo Maresca's attacking style, noting a shift from Guardiola's ultra-patient possession play to slicker, wide-focused football with a younger core. He believes the signings of Elliot Anderson, Enzo Fernandez and Ayyoub Bouaddi have helped replace Rodri, and he is happy with the full-back options.
He described Liverpool under Andoni Iraola as "unspectacular but solid" and identified the key battles as Erling Haaland, Jeremy Doku, Iliman Ndiaye and Antoine Semenyo against Virgil van Dijk, Jeremy Jacquet and the Liverpool full-backs. He also warned that Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai must control the midfield to stop Rayan Cherki.
Howarth's score prediction: 1-1.
