The verdict demands a reckoning

Phil Thompson has never been a man to mince his words, and he wasn't starting now. Speaking at the unveiling of the newly-auctioned original 'This Is Anfield' sign at The ARC Hotel on Anfield Road on 9 October, the former Liverpool captain made his position on Manchester City's guilty verdict absolutely clear: the punishment that follows must be severe.

"Listen, I'm looking at all of what's gone on - it needs to be severe," Thompson told the Echo. "If this is the way it is, as we hear all the guilty [verdict] - which I know they're appealing against - the severest punishment needs to be done. We all abide [by the rules], and I think even the top brass [do]. You sign up for the rules before every season. We all know the rules and, if you break them, you deserve the punishment that entails."

The independent Commission found City guilty of all financial charges brought against them by the Premier League, covering intentional and systematic breaches of regulations over a nine-year period from 2009 to 2018. City have appealed the verdict and sanctions are yet to be determined, but the gravity of what has been established is not lost on anyone who lived through those years competing against them.

Anfield will be electric, but so will City

City arrive at Anfield on Sunday as Liverpool's next opponents, and Thompson has no doubt the atmosphere will carry a particular charge given the backdrop. Three Premier League titles went City's way after 2009, titles that many at Liverpool believe were won under a financial cloud, and the home crowd will not need reminding of that. Thompson described what he expects from the Anfield faithful as "electrifying in its own right."

But here is where Thompson's reading of the situation becomes genuinely interesting, and worth taking seriously. He is not buying the idea that City's players will be distracted or diminished by the turmoil surrounding the club. His warning was direct: "If I was playing for Manchester City, I would be up for this game. I would be feeling exactly the same. Because, as a footballer, you want to do your best for the football club. No matter what's gone on, that'll be it."

City come into the fixture having won all five of their Premier League matches this season. Whatever questions hang over the club's long-term future, their short-term form is not in doubt.

Siege mentality is a real threat

Thompson drew on his own experience of dressing room culture to explain why City's situation could actually galvanise rather than deflate them. It is the kind of insight that only comes from having lived through high-pressure campaigns, and it is a timely one.

"Let me tell you, being in a dressing room in adversity and everything, you come together," he said. "You come together, and do you know what? You laugh about it. That sounds strange to you, but a dressing room culture is so different from anything [else]. Those City players will be doing exactly the same. That is my worry - what they call it now is a 'siege mentality'. So they'll be like that."

England manager Thomas Tuchel has acknowledged that some City players expressed concerns about their futures while on international duty, which only adds another layer of complexity to Sunday's fixture. Thompson's message to Liverpool, though, was unambiguous: match the intensity, trust the crowd, and do not for a second assume the opposition will be anything less than fully wound up. Sunday at Anfield could be one of the most loaded fixtures in recent memory, and that is before a ball has been kicked.