If I was manager of Manchester City now, after they were found guilty of breaking Premier League financial rules, my whole psychology with my group of players this week would encompass one major point: "No-one is going to like us, but we won't care." I loved being the underdog and I loved to prove people wrong, and that is what I would demand now - a siege mentality from my squad and supporters alike to prove to people that, irrespective of what is happening off the pitch, on the field and the terraces we respect our club and we are going to fight on. City will be vilified by everyone else but their players have a great opportunity to show unity and togetherness, starting on Sunday away to Liverpool. When the Premier League returns this weekend, the spotlight will be on one game in particular - at Anfield.
As well as preparing for such a huge match, City's players will be arriving back from international duty and going straight into an off-field fight that has turned into a media frenzy. The allegations seem relentless with finger-pointing from every Tom, Dick and Harry jumping on the bandwagon in hammering a club that has dominated the Premier League for over a decade. It feels like every positive gained by City over the period in question and beyond has been smashed into oblivion.
Yet, despite all of the above, the club have remained firm in denying all charges. So, where does this leave Enzo Maresca and his City players as they prepare to take on Liverpool? Firstly, although they themselves have not been involved in any of the allegations about the club breaking the Premier League's financial rules, they must understand that supporters at all away grounds will be baying for their blood.
City have become a team that, whenever they play, will provide an opportunity for all critics to attack them, and from all angles - including the frenzied media outlets. So, as the manager, Maresca must first act to reassure his players that the club is not in any way going to take a step back from defending their own position, and also the position of the players, staff and supporters. Once that is established, I would then expect every player to concentrate on what they are being paid for, which is to win games.
There should be no distractions or any questions that do not relate to the games they are involved in. No excuses about what is happening off the field would be tolerated, and that would be my final word on the matter. If the verdict about City breaking the Premier League's financial rules is upheld, it will come at a heavy cost to the club and its reputation.
I feel there needs to be more attention paid to all of these rules, and their fairness, because professional football at the top level is now dominated by massive financial investment. Even if you just consider player transfers, it's not unusual for around a billion pounds to be exchanged between clubs in England and around the world during each transfer window. While individual players at the top level are being bought and sold for more than £100m, smaller academies are being plundered by the bigger clubs.
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