> I kind of doubt the strategy will be to seek acquittal
I'd be fairly surprised if two of the key points on which the defense will assert that legal errors were made at trial are not:
(1) the trial court inappropriately denied the motion to dismiss all charges with prejudice due to the government's denial of Manning's Constitutional right to due process by way of unlawful pretrial punishment, and
(2) the trial court inappropriately denied the motion to dismiss all charges with prejudice due to the government's denial of Manning's Constitutional right to speedy trial.
(Note that both of these trial-court legal decisions preceded, and formed part of the context for, the guilty plea; prior to those events, Manning had not entered a plea.)
The idea that the appeal will focus only on sentence seems to me to be quite unlikely.
I'd be fairly surprised if two of the key points on which the defense will assert that legal errors were made at trial are not:
(1) the trial court inappropriately denied the motion to dismiss all charges with prejudice due to the government's denial of Manning's Constitutional right to due process by way of unlawful pretrial punishment, and
(2) the trial court inappropriately denied the motion to dismiss all charges with prejudice due to the government's denial of Manning's Constitutional right to speedy trial.
(Note that both of these trial-court legal decisions preceded, and formed part of the context for, the guilty plea; prior to those events, Manning had not entered a plea.)
The idea that the appeal will focus only on sentence seems to me to be quite unlikely.