MANCHESTER, England – They applauded the field and then chased and chased it: an honor guard who turned out to be for Liverpool in Manchester City when Pep Guardiola’s players gave a double declaration of intent with an emphatic 4-0 victory over the newly crowned champions on Thursday.
Such has been Liverpool’s dominance in the 2019-20 season that this result will do nothing to diminish the magnitude of their achievement. They are still 20 points from the closest challengers in the City and are still on their way to break the 100 point barrier and all sorts of other milestones, including most wins and highest profit margin as they have sealed the title faster than any other club in Premier League history.
But make no mistake, this defeat will have stung Liverpool. Losing his first game after being crowned champion is bad enough, but being at the end of a hammer is something else.
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He finished 4-0, after goals from Kevin De Bruyne, Raheem Sterling, Phil Foden and an own goal by Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, but it could have been six, seven or eight for City, such was his absolute control of this. game. City had a Riyad Mahrez goal in halftime that VAR harshly ruled out for handball and Liverpool needed Virgil van Dijk to clear a shot by Foden off the goal line, so the scoreboard did not favor the home team. .
Despite the result, Jurgen Klopp insisted that he had no problems with the approach or attitude of his players.
“If you want to lead this story in the direction we weren’t focused on, then do it,” said Klopp. “I liked the attitude of my team, you ask again. Isn’t it good that another team can be champion when Man City can play so well? Man City is amazing. I saw their season, they didn’t play a bad game.”
Klopp had selected his strongest team, perhaps to make sure Liverpool respected City for their gesture of applauding them on the field in recognition of their title success. So Liverpool not only found themselves well defeated, but also their best team on the field, and City will use this victory to fuel the belief that they can claim the title next season. Liverpool will also return to Anfield knowing that the challenge of staying on top has already begun.
“Next season started today and we did well,” said Sterling. “We had a test against the reigning champions to make a point and we did great.”
But the next season can wait. Liverpool have done what they have to do and have earned the right to have a day off, but City still has a lot to play for this season, and this performance and result has now given them the platform to build their assault on the League of Champions. .
Guardiola and his players still have to think about the FA Cup: the starters face Arsenal in the semifinals at Wembley (July 18 at 2:40 p.m. ET, live stream on ESPN +) – But the only show in town for City since soccer restarted last month was its attempt to win the Champions League this season. They must still complete the second leg of the round of 16 against Real Madrid when the competition resumes in early August, but having won 2-1 at Santiago Bernabeu in the first leg, they will be strong favorites to advance to the competition. . quarterfinals, especially after this victory against Liverpool.
Without the injured Sergio Agüero and outgoing Leroy Sane, who is ready to complete a transfer to Bayern Munich, City destroyed the new Premier League champions, but also the European Cup holders. Liverpool will not cling to that trophy, as it was eliminated by Atlético de Madrid in the last 16 years, but its pedigree has no doubts, so Real will not fear City next month.
But can City go all the way, win the Champions League in Lisbon and end the club’s long wait for glory in the competition? Desire is already on the brink of despair, but if the Court of Arbitration for Sport confirms this month its two-year ban on the Champions League, the City’s motivation to win will only increase.
In November, Guardiola let go of his mask when it came to winning the Champions League, with the City manager attending an award ceremony in Manchester with Klopp where, standing alongside the Premier League and Champions League trophies he said jokingly, “Maybe we can exchange?”
“I would like to win my [Champions League] trophy back, and I’m pretty sure you would like to win that [Premier League]”
Guardiola now has his best chance to win the trophy with City, as he won two with Barcelona. The final eight tournament in Lisbon is a simple elimination, so if the City beats Real, it will be three glory wins. And in unique cup competitions, City has been formidable under Guardiola, winning three successive Carabao Cups and last year’s FA Cup.
And it has the players to get to the Champions League.
De Bruyne is arguably the best form of his career in town, with Sterling also reaching the heights. Foden is fast becoming a player that Guardiola cannot ignore and Mahrez has added a more direct advantage to his game. Aguero, sidelined by a knee injury, is also likely to get back in shape for Lisbon, although Guardiola said after this game that it will be “impossible” for him to face Real.
But the city has weaknesses to solve before traveling to Portugal. Defensively, only Aymeric Laporte can be trusted, and although Benjamin Mendy did well against Liverpool, the French winger always seems to be a moment away from a dire mistake. The likes of Bayern Munich, Juventus or Paris Saint-Germain will be supported to take advantage of City’s shortcomings, but no team even in the competition will feel comfortable in front of their attacking players. And this result will only increase the feeling of fear that City may attack its opponents, regardless of their caliber.
For Guardiola and City, the remaining league and cup games are all about reaching the Champions League in optimal condition, and their dismantling of Liverpool suggests they are reaching their boiling point perfectly.
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