Pulis tells Man City to embrace siege mentality after guilty verdict
Tony Pulis says Manchester City must accept that no-one will like them now. And not care.
Writing in a BBC Sport column published on 9 October, the former Stoke City and West Bromwich Albion manager put himself in the dugout at City after the club were found guilty of breaking Premier League financial rules, the league's limits on how clubs spend and report money. His message to the players would be blunt. No-one will like them, but they will not care. BBC Sport
What Pulis would demand instead is a siege mentality, that us-against-the-world mindset managers use to bind a team together. He wrote that he would want it from the squad and the supporters alike, to prove people wrong.
Pulis was careful about the legal picture. He described the verdict as conditional, writing that if the ruling that City broke the rules is upheld it will come at a heavy cost to the club and its reputation. He also noted that despite relentless allegations, City have remained firm in denying all charges.
His advice for Enzo Maresca, City's manager, was practical. Ahead of an away trip to Anfield, Liverpool's home ground, Maresca must reassure his players that the club will not step back from defending its position.
That test comes quickly. City head to Anfield on Sunday to face Andoni Iraola's Liverpool, with kick-off at 16:30 UK time. Manchester City The club's fixtures hub lists the game as Liverpool v Manchester City on 11 October at 17:30 CEST, which is the same kick-off time in central Europe, and marks it as sold out.
For fans, this means a familiar football story with an unfamiliar weight. Anfield away is one of the hardest afternoons in English football. Loud, tight and unforgiving for visitors. Pulis knows that ground well from his years fighting for points there.
What makes this stand out is the split focus Pulis describes. Win the next tackle, win the next header, block out the noise off the pitch. For neutrals, Sunday will show whether City's players can still do that with the verdict hanging over them.
