Manchester City’s trip to Anfield and is Eckert’s Spygate ban too lenient? – Football Weekly podcast

Nicky Bandini (0:00)

This is The Guardian.

Max Rushden (0:12)

Hello and welcome to The Guardian Football Weekly. The Premier League returns and narrative fans couldn't ask for a better game for Man City than Liverpool away. So often the side city just pipped for the title. Even Maresca's pre-match press conference might be worth watching. Will they be the highest ever viewing figures for a team getting off the bus? Not to mention the atmosphere at Anfield and how it affects the city players. A relief then to stop talking about cheating on the balance sheets and get down to the business of cheating behind a tree. Tonda Eckhart gets a suspended sentence for Spygate. Is that the right call? Elsewhere, an enormous game at Old Trafford as struggling Manchester United take on bottom of the table spurs. Can unbeaten Leeds do what Brighton did against Arsenal? What reaction will Oliver Glasner get on his return to Palace? Nicky will tell us if Italy had a good camp and Paul Watson will tell us interesting stuff that's passed us by while we read redacted legal reports. All that plus your questions and that's today's Guardian Football Weekly.

On the panel today, Barry Glendenning, welcome.

Barry Glendenning (1:03)

Hi Max.

Max Rushden (1:04)

Hello Nicky Bandini.

Good morning Paul Watson. Hi Max, from the excellent SweeperPod. Of course, let's begin then looking ahead to Super Sunday, Liverpool versus Manchester City. I mean Barry, it is a perfect, it is a perfect game, isn't it? You couldn't ask for a better game and as someone who doesn't really get too bothered about press conferences or pre-match or all that, I think all of it will be fascinating.

Barry Glendenning (1:31)

Yeah, we're looking ahead to Super Sunday, but I think it's going to begin on later today or Friday, whenever the press conferences are because all the Premier League managers will be interviewed.

They will all have had time to digest what's happened with Manchester City and figure out what their take is going to be depending on whose press conference is at what time. Some managers will be, their quotes will be being fired at other managers and they'll be asked to comment on it, like the way reporters do with stuff pundits say. Enzo Marescu's press conference is going to make for a compelling viewing, I would imagine, if I presume, he will be shoved out on his own in a hail of bullets when really, you would think some of the execs at Man City, Ferran Torres, sorry. What's his name?

Max Rushden (2:28)

Partial Ferran Torres to have to do all these things, you know.

Barry Glendenning (2:32)

Not Ferran Torres.

Max Rushden (2:34)

Ferran Soriano.

Barry Glendenning (2:35)

Ferran Soriano. I would like to hear what Ferran Torres has to say about the whole situation. God knows I've heard everyone else's take and I'm certainly sick of my own, listening to my own voice talking about it. Yeah, presumably, Maresca will be sent out into a hail of bullets. That press conference is going to be fascinating. Miquel Arteta is presumably will be fascinating because he was there for part of the time.

And then there's the game, the whole build up. What sort of reception will the City team bus get?

A very lively one, I'd imagine. The whole world will be watching. I'm sure Liverpool's fans have a few things up their sleeves in the way of banners and songs, a couple of new songs added to the back catalogue. Then there's the game itself. How will City's players react to what's going on? Probably the best thing they could do is just go out and smash Liverpool off the pitch. But the record at Anfield isn't great in the Premier League. I think they've only won two Premier League games there since they started cheating back in 2008-9. But, yeah, it's going to be compelling, real drama and theatre.

Max Rushden (3:53)

It would be great. What's the greatest? If Maresca just went, you what now? Sorry, I've just not been paying attention.

And then I was thinking, you know, there will be a player that calls a Man City player a cheat. And I was thinking, it will probably be Enzo Fernandez. But then I remembered he plays for Manchester City, so he can't do that now. I see you, Nicky, as the voice of reason on all things when I get carried away. So, is it even possible to work out the effects that this will have on City players?

Nicky Bandini (4:27)

No, it's not. And there was a part of me, and I've just been called the voice of reason, as part of me, that had my conspiracy hat on the whole international bracket. As soon as Haaland was limping out of that last game, I was thinking, oh, wouldn't it be convenient for him not to have to play for the next couple of weeks and avoid all this?