Manchester City’s battle to retain the Premier League title means they cannot slip up against Manchester United, especially with outside pressures hanging overhead
Former Manchester United assistant manager Rene Meulensteen has warned Manchester City their ‘cloud is going to burst’ with looming Premier League financial charges hanging over the club.
Pep Guardiola’s side arrive into Sunday’s Manchester derby second in the Premier League standings. They are only one point shy of leaders Liverpool, however could be four points worth of ground to make up if Jurgen Klopp’s team take full points from Nottingham Forest this afternoon.
Sixth-placed United meanwhile know a result for themselves could prove crucial in the race for a Champions League qualification spot, plus will have the added pressure of playing away from home against their rivals.
Now, doing his part to stir the opposition camp, Meulensteen – who served on Sir Alex Ferguson’s staff between 2007 and 2013, helping to oversee 20 Manchester derbies – referenced City’s looming financial charges as a distraction on top of an already pressurised title race.
Speaking to the MEN, the Dutch coach said: “I do think – and I’m not taking anything away from what they have done and achieved in the time Pep Guardiola has been there – there is a massive cloud hanging over City.
“There is the unclarity of the 115 charges and that cloud is going to burst at some point. It has nothing to do with the derby on Sunday because those games stand on themselves, but with the way the Premier League is shaping up this year, nobody can afford to slip up.”
Should City cede points to United on Sunday, it will also open the door for Arsenal to leapfrog them when they travel to Sheffield United on Monday night. Matches against Liverpool at Anfield on March 10 and Arsenal at the Etihad Stadium on March 31 would subsequently have even more riding on them in the run-in.
On the other hand, with the unresolved 115 charges City have already fought to be in the position they are in currently with two trophies already under their belt – as well as to be one of the final eight teams remaining in this season’s FA Cup, and in the hunt for successive Champions League titles.
The outcome is expected to remain unknown before 2025, with the official hearing due to begin around the start of the 2024/25 Premier League campaign. However Everton have been docked 10 points by the Premier League already this season – subsequently reduced to six – but have other FFP charges hanging over them alongside fellow outfit Nottingham Forest.
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