Why Manchester City never appeal to the heart

Football is an intensely tribal trigger of an array of feelings, leaving objectivity only for those without a stake. It’s very difficult to have an opinion on anything in football that isn’t prompted somewhat by how you feel about it. The numbers might tell you Neymar is better, but the feelings inside will always leave you believing that no-one ever did it like Ronaldinho.

This, in a nutshell, is football. We argue the same things from different angles. Yesterday’s argument by a rival fan is today your stick beat him with. No-one talks with logic but a complete absence of rationality. This is why the game is cherished and adored, because of its lingering stain on your mind long after you’ve turned off the TV.

And as the opposite of love is hatred, football’s tribalism is a coin that demands you to have a team you hate as much as the club you love. Liverpool Football Club in that respect, are that for a lot of clubs, and a few clubs are that for us too. Which brings me to Pep Guardiola’s comments, that Liverpool are the nation’s darling, adored by the establishment, favoured by the media against the widely-dismissed Manchester City.

The context for this was the intense focus on the possibility of Liverpool securing an unprecedented quadruple. This, Guardiola felt, unfairly overshadowed City’s achievements this…