Yahoo News 'Deserves better' - Jamie Carragher makes Pep Guardiola point over Man City 115 charges
Jamie Carragher has heaped praise on Manchester City's Premier League dominance whilst expressing annoyance over the time taken to resolve their 115 charges for alleged Financial Fair Play breaches.
Pep Guardiola's side will become the first side in English top-flight history to win four consecutive league titles if they beat West Ham at the Etihad on Sunday. City are two points clear of Arsenal in second who host Everton on the final day.
And Liverpool legend Carragher believes Guardiola's City are the best team in Premier League history. He raises the fact that Sir Alex Ferguson's great Manchester United teams could not manage to win four in a row.
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"Manchester City win on Sunday will erase any doubts about their and Pep Guardiola’s place in English football history," he wrote in his Telegraph column.
"City are the best Premier League side this country has ever seen. Guardiola is the greatest manager of the modern era.
"The statistics do not lie if, as we expect, City make it four league titles in a row. The best Manchester United teams could not manage that, despite winning three in a row and dominating our league.
"City have gone beyond by changing the landscape of what is required to become champions."
He added: "In the Premier League years, the bar has been raised to an unprecedented height, and only tribalism prevents rivals acknowledging what Guardiola has done."
It was announced in February 2023 that City had been charged with 115 separate alleged breaches of the Premier League's FFP regulations dating back to 2009 and running until 2018. The club strongly deny the charges.
Premier League chief executive Richard Masters revealed in April that the hearing will take place in the "near future." And Carragher has expressed frustration over the time being taken to resolve City's case.
"The club takes much displeasure in this being referenced, especially when they are the threshold of more success," he said. "They know the time taken to deal with this matter is an embarrassment for them and the Premier League. The charge sheet is so huge, it has created a legal minefield with the club disputing each allegation.
"I would love to know how City’s owners, or those advising them, feel about the issue dragging on while the team prepares to win its fourth consecutive Premier League on the back of last year’s Treble. They must appreciate it is a public relations disaster.
"Guardiola should be celebrated for his genius by neutrals as well as City fans. But whether he and his club likes it or not, City will never escape the shadow of those allegations until they are dealt with, the years of legal wrangling still preventing the club from clearing its name.
"That is what baffles me about the whole sordid affair. When accusations are made against any individuals or institutions who have absolute certainty in their innocence, you would usually expect the demand of those involved to arrange a hearing at the earliest opportunity. Where is the statement from City expressing frustration or fury that the process is taking so long?
"Kicking the can down the road means too many insults are being directed at a brilliant manager and his extraordinary team – none of whom will have a clue about how the club was operating in those years under suspicion. Guardiola deserves better than lifting his sixth Premier League under such a cloud.
"As a manager, a coaching and technical staff and a fantastic squad, Manchester City should be acclaimed for being one of the best football teams there has ever been. As a club? I’d like to say the jury is out. Unfortunately, we have waited too long for a jury, or Premier League commission, to even begin to consider that verdict."
