Why City won't get expelled from the Prem, What happend to Marsch, and the debate between science and art

Yes, it is true that City are in trouble.

Financial Fair Play play trouble to be specific, along with a few other questionably false accounts (like sponsorship revenue). Yet this news is nothing new, but rather an accumulatation of a decade of regulatory frustrations, including the Roberto Mancini years. Remember that?

City, also accused of not complying with regulations of UEFA licensing, nor cooperating with a legitimate investigation by UEFA, have, of course, denied all accusations. They're pretty good at that, and hold a decent record with the courts. Overturning UEFA's previous sanctions, but losing a few battles since then, City are ready for another fight. Matt Slater, from The Athletic, describes it as trench warfare.

Sure, there is potential to see City facing serious consequences in the future, like financial fines and penalties. But a regulatory body will most likely make no moves now. Maybe down the road we will see the reallocation of titles. Rest assured, Pep will finish the season.

“I would expect that if there is a points deduction, it would be applied going forward,” says James Hill a legal director specialising in sports regulatory matters at Onside Law.

The Athletic

Why Now ?

Good Question. Have all these official discoveries and frustrations reached their limit Monday morning? Or is football's governing body trying to make a point? Threatened by the ideas of competing leagues and governing systems, Is UEFA trying to flex authority under pressure?

While it has been good fun for global soccer media, the case with Man City is no monumental case that changes history. This is a repeating theme within the colossal clubs that dominate the game (just look at Juventus). It is fair to say money may rule football. Money rules most things. Consequences for the club or not, this is something that will pan out over the long run.

Goodbye Marsch.

Dissapointed but not surprised. The American manager failed to produce results in the immediate short term. Nowadays, the immediate short term is all managers have to make a difference. Whatever angle we choose to analyze the situation, and regardless of the excuses that point to a positive expected goal count (XG), Marsch failed to produce results. Rumors indicate the players may have lost belief in the “system.” Marsch’s philosophy, cultivated by RedBull Salzburg, takes advantage of playing narrowly, and capitalizing off counterattacks and counter press in the center of the field.

Will this RedBull vision still be promoted at Leeds? What about all the new players recently signed? How will they fit the system in the future? Important questions to consider, the truth is that formations, formulas, and tactics to this degree don't mean much, when the players are not bought in.

The Indispensable Question

Just how much freedom should players have? How much structure, tactics, and data will help players? How much will hurt players? Current Juventus coach, Massimiliano Allegri sees the game as an art, allowing players the freedom to flourish with creativity. Former Dutch national coach, Louis Van Gaal, is known for presenting data, and allowing the players to make their own "guided" interpretations about what will be sucessful on the pitch. Yet on the same token, teams like Brentford and Midtjylland have experienced tremendous amounts of success implementing the heavy investment of data, analytics, and structure. As football has approached a renaissance in the way we view the game, and the amount of small details we account, football is a game of edge, trying to master the 1%. Do we try and find every single advantage? Will we look back and laugh or were the pursuits of the small details worth it? While football will remain a mystery to the scientists and artists alike, the fans are united by it’s ultimate simplicity.

In the words of Johan Cruyff, “It’s like everything in football - and in life. You need to look, you need to think, you need to move, you need to find space, you need to help others. It’s very simple in the end.”