In a Mail column, it's noted that if Manchester City were to truly fall, other Premier League clubs would rightfully strip them of their moral superiority. But one day, other major clubs will look in the mirror and wonder why they couldn't achieve more — why they failed to learn something from them.

The report states this isn't about fraud. We know what that is and how we feel about it. This is about value for money. It's about buying the right players. For a long time, Manchester City has done this better than any other team.

Achieving this is not merely a matter of money, regardless of its source — and we saw the benefits of this yesterday at Anfield.

Elliott Anderson was named Man of the Match, and we all know his situation. Nottingham Forest valued him at over £100 million. With enough money, any of us could have bought him.

But who scored the second and third goals? What about Doku and Savinho? These two players were acquired for £55 million and £30 million respectively, and almost no one expected them to be decisive players in the match.

When Doku joined the team in 2023, he had made only 8 starts for Belgium's national team; Savinho had not been called up to France's squad until the day he signed his contract in June 2025.

Doku's performance after coming off the bench at Anfield was outstanding and changed the course of the game. Rooney called him "clumsy, quick and strong" on Match of the Day. Savinho scored a beautiful goal and is now the closest player to De Bruyne at Manchester City.

Any of the traditional Premier League giants could afford such players, so it's not about where the money comes from. What matters is judgment and value for money, plus the courage and confidence to take calculated risks in attracting promising young players from abroad.

For example, Doku's transfer fee is the same as Kudus when he joined Tottenham from West Ham. Savinho's valuation is also comparable to Tielemans after his move from Aston Villa to Manchester United.

I watched both players at Old Trafford on Saturday evening, and perhaps it's best not to dwell too much on that.

We can and should discuss why players choose Manchester City and on what foundations this club is built. That discussion should not stop.

But if they truly get expelled from the league, what competition will be left for the rest of the world? Who can truly challenge Arsenal? Whose responsibility is that, and how complacent do they look?

Only six rounds of the season have been played, but English clubs spent so much money this summer — around £3.5 billion — and it seems no one has made a real breakthrough except Brighton and Brentford.

Premier League clubs can certainly enjoy Manchester City's "fall," but they should also ask themselves who will fill the void they leave behind.

This question may hang in the air for some time.

Haaland's Underrated Asset

One thing money cannot buy is fitness. And in this regard, Haaland stands out.

Liverpool again struggled at Anfield without Isak, Ekitiké and Gakpo; Manchester City's decisive opening goal was scored by a powerful left-footed strike from Haaland.

This is Haaland's fifth season at Manchester City, and the most overlooked aspect of the Norwegian is that he is always available.

In fact, the reliable website Transfermarkt shows that Haaland has been sidelined for more than a month due to injury only once during his Manchester City career and has missed more than six consecutive matches only once.

The reliability of the Scandinavian superstar is as evident as his physical attributes.

Slot Should Reflect

Liverpool and Manchester City were evenly matched, and before Gravenberch's dismissal, Liverpool even looked more likely to score first. The final scoreline does not reflect what actually happened in the early stages of the match.

However, when Liverpool manager Slot complained about his player's red card from referee Chris Kavanagh, he could have also asked himself why he hasn't used the Dutch midfielder on a regular basis this season.

This was only Gravenberch's third league start this season, and he was probably only in the lineup because Szoboszlai wasn't fully fit yet.

Gravenberch is Liverpool's most reliable midfielder, and the sooner Slot understands this, the better.

Переведено ИИ.

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