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Liverpool’s defensive problems worsen
Every Liverpool fan who had been watching would have flinched when Fabinho’s sprint turned into a limp midway through the first half. The Brazilian has been impressive as a backup for Virgil van Dijk over the past week, but now he faces a period of time on the sidelines with what appeared to be a right hamstring injury. Jurgen Klopp will expect it to be a matter of days or weeks rather than months.
In Fabinho’s place, the teenager Rhys Williams impressed, and the youngster’s role now could prove crucial for Liverpool in the fall as matches and injuries pile up. Joe Gomez was made up when he took over the role of senior partner, while Joel Matip is expected to return in the next few days to ease the situation, but Klopp will have to squeeze every last drop of his resources if Liverpool are to win a major trophy of new.
Alexander-Arnold returns to his best level
Trent Alexander-Arnold hasn’t been in his best fluid form so far this season, which in itself is not a criticism given his enormously high standards over the past two years. His preseason preparation was hampered by injuries and international duty, but it is still a surprise to see that there are no goals and only one assist alongside his name in the Premier League with Andrew Robertson carrying much more threat of attack in wide areas. .
However, here he was Liverpool’s standout player. His crosses from the right were dangerous, as were a couple of set pieces, but it was the dribble from the winger that really stood out. An interwoven career in the first half almost ended in a brilliant goal if only he had had the confidence to shoot with his left foot, and in the second half it was his breakthrough into the heart of the Danish defense that finally broke the deadlock. sliding a pass through Diogo Jota’s goal to take advantage of an empty net. With this evidence, Alexander-Arnold has returned to his terrifying prime.
Villas-Boas plays in the hands of Guardiola
It was built as a night of vindication, perhaps even redemption for Andre Villas-Boas. The brilliant young man, thrown to the top of the Premier League, sidelined by Chelsea and then Tottenham, who has quietly revived his reputation in France. Marseille was always an emotional settlement point for the Portuguese, a former home of Marcelo Bielsa, whom Villas-Boas visited in Rosario six years ago, desperate to take advantage of the knowledge of the Argentine icon.
It was the same path that Guardiola traveled, something of a tradition for the deepest thinkers and scrutinizing analysts of football. Despite all its success, it is a complex that has hindered Guardiola at Manchester City in the Champions League, betraying his principles to anticipate danger.
Tonight, however, it was Villas-Boas who played at City’s hands. Returning to a back-five, Marseille gave up possession, territory and invited pressure. That added congestion still did nothing to stifle Kevin De Bruyne’s creativity or Raheem Sterling’s incisive careers, but only stifled the Marseille threat going forward. It took only 18 minutes for City to find the breakthrough, with Ferran Torres capitalizing on a misplaced pass, and thus Villas-Boas’s intricate shot was thrown into disarray.
Kevin De Bruyne was the heartbeat of Man City’s victory
(Getty)
The city adapts in the absence of Agüero
The loss of Sergio Agüero to a hamstring injury before this game will have filled City fans with a familiar sense of dread. Certainly the club has been down recently, there may be little discussion of that, but their record of absences has been woefully unfortunate. Few players have as significant an impact on form, nous and great danger from Guardiola’s side as Agüero, particularly in the absence of Gabriel Jesús as his substitute turned rival.
Instead, it was Torres who played the traditional forward role. The Spaniard, bought from Valencia in the summer, clearly has a lot of potential, he ran tirelessly and has now scored three goals in seven appearances. But of course he was still playing out of his natural position, the instinct to time his runs toward perfect passes from De Bruyne or patiently loiter in a not-quite-refined poacher position. At some points the lack of a natural finisher was dazzled before Gundogan doubled the lead in a game City had dominated over such long stretches, but the absence of Aguero will always leave big shoes to fill.
Ferran Torres celebrates the goal of City’s first goal
(Getty)
Sterling stars in a full performance
While De Bruyne is the undisputed heartbeat of Guardiola’s team, it was Sterling who played an integral role in their success tonight. In the early stages, a series of steps and feints nearly created the opener. A deft ball chipped to the second post set Gundogan up for City’s second, before Sterling himself, now playing at No. 9, tapped on third after a wonderful move, evidencing every bit of that deadly edge that his team was missing.
It was a complete performance by the England international, and while City were rarely challenged, there were positives across the pitch. In particular, it was the defense that inspired confidence, a statement that has hardly been common lately, despite such a large investment. Ruben Dias has already established himself as an outspoken leader, Aymeric Laporte’s return from injury continued in a positive light, while Kyle Walker is the often underrated constant. This was by no means City at its best, but after such a poor performance against West Ham last weekend, and an indifferent start to the season, there were good signs to savor for Guardiola, who continued to scream and cheer. cheeks to the end. the final whistle.
