Here are your Manchester City evening headlines on Tuesday, February 7.
Rio Ferdinand defends Haaland after Jamie Carragher claim
Rio Ferdinand has defended Manchester City striker Erling Haaland after Jamie Carragher suggested that the Blues were a 'lesser' side with the Norwegian frontman in the team.
Haaland has made a scintillating start to life at the Etihad Stadium, with the 22-year-old registering 31 goals in 28 appearances in all competitions. However, he endured a difficult afternoon when Pep Guardiola's side lost 1-0 to Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday afternoon - failing to register a shot on target for the first time in the Premier League this term.
ALSO READ: Potential sanctions City could face following Premier League financial charges
After the defeat in the capital, former Liverpool defender Carragher suggested that Haaland might have picked the wrong club to actually get the best out of him. He also claimed that they were a 'lesser' team with the striker in the side. Despite this, Ferdinand was quick to back Haaland.
Ferdinand, speaking on Vibe with Five, said: "I see some people saying he has made Man City worse. I don't know how you can put 25 goals into a team and it makes you worse," he said. "I can't get my head around it, just can't."
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Ex-UEFA chief explains why PL have 'strong case' against City
The former chief investigator for UEFA has suggested that the Premier League have a 'stronger case' against Manchester City than the European governing body did when the Blues were initially banned from competing in Europe for two seasons.
On Monday, the Premier League announced that they had charged City with more than 100 breaches of league rules, with breaches allegedly coming across the last 14 years. Several of the breaches relate to finances, and the Blues - if found guilty - potentially face fines, points deductions and even expulsion.
It comes three years after City were slapped with a two-year ban from European football and a €30million fine by UEFA for breaching their Financial Fair Play regulations back in 2019. However, in 2020, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) overturned the ban from European football, with the club instead forced to pay €10m for failing to cooperate.
The charges brought by the Premier League will not be under the scope of CAS. Instead, any punishment would be decided by an independent commission. Yves Leterme, who led UEFA's investigators against City, has suggested that the fact City cannot appeal to CAS makes the Premier League's case stronger.
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