Jamie Carragher previously launched a defence of Man City's success, rejecting that it was down to money, but now they've been found guilty of financial breaches he wants a notable punishment

Jamie Carragher has called for a multi-year punishment for Manchester City in light of their guilty verdict, which has cast a shadow over their exploits in the Premier League.

They have been found guilty of 114 breaches of financial rules spanning a nine-year period from 2009 to 2018. The residual effect of those decisions has also seen plenty question their success in the years since.

During their guilty period they won three Premier League titles, the last of those being Pep Guardiola's first when they became the first team ever to register 100 points. The Catalan's dominance after that is also now coming with an asterisk in the eyes of many, even with City lodging an appeal.

Carragher, who saw his beloved Liverpool side miss out on numerous honours as a result of City, wants them to be punished in a way that leaves the club feeling the impact for years.

But, despite them inflating their revenue, the Sky Sports pundit claimed three years ago that their success was owing to Guardiola's brilliance, and not the money they spent.

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During their nine-year spell whereby they artificially inflated their revenue, allowing them to spend transfer fees and wages that would otherwise have been beyond them, the club signed the likes of Sergio Aguero, David Silva, Kevin De Bruyne, Kyle Walker, Bernardo Silva and Ederson.

They would prove to be pillars of the success they've enjoyed. In another world, they would almost certainly have been unable to sign those players despite the wealth of their Abu Dhabi owners.

But whilst it is easy to suggest that their success over the past decade and a half has owed to money, Carragher outlined why he rejected that in the weeks before they won the treble in 2023.

He wrote in the Telegraph: "Rivals will say there is one, overriding reason for this dominance; City's owner Sheikh Mansour. It sounds like an understatement to say City's Abu Dhabi resources are a factor and a massive advantage. That does not change the fact that what we are seeing on the field is Guardiola's vision. He has constructed a side which is consistently producing quality we have never witnessed before."

The year they claimed the treble they put together a league run of 14 wins in 15 games come the business end, conceded one goal in their six FA Cup games and downed Bayern Munich and Real Madrid en route to landing the Champions League.

Carragher claimed: "I am a big believer that world class players would have shone in any era, but the level City are playing is incomparable to all the great English sides before them. Only the most blinkered and tribalistic will deny that."

The Sky Sports pundit also outlined how the finances behind City's success was not the overriding reason they were so dominant. Highlighting that neighbours Manchester United have spent more money, albeit legally we now know, and yet were miles off.

City's previous title victories were also far less emphatic and came when the team weren't playing football anywhere near the level they did under Guardiola.

Addressing the charges and the immense wealth Carragher stated: "That does not alter the fact it is Guardiola's presence on top of the financial backing which makes City so good. They were nowhere near this level under Roberto Mancini or Manuel Pellegrini. If it was solely about the money, Manchester United would not be so far behind having paid more for players since Ferguson's retirement, and Paris Saint-Germain would be delivering similar standard performances."

Carragher has said in light of the guilty verdict that on Sky in particular they never wanted to caveat City's success with the 115 alleged rule breaches whilst the investigation was ongoing, instead letting the process run its course.

But the perception of City, their achievements and the current team have altered massively since the verdict came down. Their first game at Liverpool, which finished in a resounding victory for Enzo Maresca's side, came amid constant boos and a raft of banners underlining their status as cheats.

So much of City's recent success under Guardiola came with a style of play that has rarely, if ever, been seen on these shores and that added further stardust to the dynasty they were creating. For some, that has now gone. Even modern greats like De Bruyne are having to see their achievements questioned.

There are increased calls for the Premier League to take action, especially with a team found guilty of rule breaches sat top of their own league. Stripping them of their titles and relegating them via a points deduction are options available to them.

Carragher said after Sunday's clash: "In some ways, the feeling around Manchester City will only grow the more they win. It will keep growing and growing around the country. We need a resolution as soon as possible. We're watching a game today, but what does it actually mean?"