A column in The Mail reports that if Manchester City truly fall from grace, other Premier League clubs would have every right to savor their downfall. But one day, other big clubs will look in the mirror and wonder why they haven't performed as well — why they haven't learned something from City's approach.

The report suggests it's not about cheating. We know what that is and how we feel about it. It's about value for money. It's about buying the right players. Manchester City has done this better than any other club for a long time.

Achieving this isn't just about having money — however it comes — and we saw the benefits yesterday at Anfield.

They awarded Man of the Match to Elliot Anderson, and we all know his story. Nottingham Forest priced 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 Cherki? These two players were signed for £55 million and £30 million respectively, and hardly anyone expected them to be decisive performers.

When Doku joined in 2023, he had only 8 caps for Belgium. Cherki had only just received his first senior call-up for France before signing a contract through June 2025.

Doku's performance after coming off the bench at Anfield was remarkable and game-changing. Rooney described him as "uncomfortable to play against, quick and strong" on Match of the Day. Cherki scored a beautiful goal and is now arguably Manchester City's closest thing to De Bruyne.

Any Premier League giant could buy players like this. So it's not about where the money comes from. The key lies in smart recruitment and value for money — having the courage and confidence to take chances on talented young players from abroad.

For example, Doku's transfer fee was similar to Kudus' when he moved from West Ham to Tottenham. Cherki's value was comparable to Tielemans' when he left Aston Villa for Manchester United.

I watched both players at Old Trafford on Saturday night, and it's probably best not to dwell on that.

We can and should debate why players choose Manchester City and what foundation this club is built on. This debate shouldn't stop.

But if they're genuinely driven out of the league, what kind of competition will remain? Who will truly challenge Arsenal? Whose responsibility is this, and what does it say about the complacency of the other clubs?

We're only six matches into the season, but English clubs have spent heavily this summer — around £3.5 billion — and it seems no one has genuinely progressed except Brighton and Brentford.

Premier League clubs can enjoy the spectacle of Manchester City's supposed collapse, but they should ask themselves whether anyone can truly fill the void they've left.

That question may linger for some time.

Haaland's overlooked virtue

One thing money can't buy is fitness, and when it comes to that, Haaland deserves credit.

Liverpool faced problems at Anfield again without Isak, and when Eckitike and Gakpo were also absent, Manchester City's opening goal came from Haaland's powerful left foot.

This is the 26-year-old striker's fifth season at Manchester City, and one of the most overlooked aspects of the Norwegian is his consistency in availability.

In fact, reliable Transfermarkt data shows that Haaland has suffered only one injury lasting more than a month during his time at Manchester City and has missed more than six consecutive matches only once.

The strength of this Nordic superstar is as evident as his physique.

Arne should look at himself

Liverpool and Manchester City played competitively, and before midfielder Gravenberch was sent off, they even looked capable of scoring first. The final result didn't truly reflect the overall picture of the game in the first hour.

However, when Liverpool manager Arne Slot complained about referee Chris Kavanagh's decision to send off his player, he might also ask himself why he hasn't used this Dutch midfielder more this season.

This was only Gravenberch's third league start of the season, and he might not have featured had Szoboszlai been fully fit.

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

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