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Liverpool versus Manchester City has become the biggest game on the English calendar in recent years not because of history, rivalry or hatred, but because of performance.
Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola moved to England around the same time, with the latter’s team reaching peak level on the pitch at a faster pace than the former despite the apparent crossover between 2017 and 2020.
In that three-year span, Liverpool and City amassed at least 58 points more than any other top-flight team in England, and the pair are responsible for each of the four highest total points in Premier League history.
Klopp and Guardiola have met 10 times in the Premier League and Champions League while in charge of their current clubs; the German has won five, the Spanish has won three and the remaining two have ended in a draw.
They are scheduled to meet again on Sunday at the Etihad in what feels like a very different kind of match compared to the previous ones, and both sides seem relatively vulnerable compared to themselves.
Liverpool do not have the best center-back in the world in Virgil van Dijk and even with him in the starting eleven, the Reds suffered their toughest defeat since the Premier League was established in 1992 just a month ago at Villa Park.
City have played six games, but have found the net only nine times; the fewest goals Guardiola’s men had previously scored after the same number of games was 18 in his first season, which is double the current number.
(Image: @DistanceCovered)
The 2020/21 campaign is still young, and it’s worth noting that Liverpool are still at the top of the table, but neither team seems to be in control of everything as before, creating a curious dynamic before. from this weekend’s competition. .
Now that Van Dijk, Thiago Alcantara and Fabinho are absent, will Klopp acknowledge that his team is somewhat less capable on the defensive side of the game before essentially conceding possession to City and punishing their mistakes when they materialize?
The Reds have benefited in the past by luring Guardiola’s players into cheating and applying mistakes, and considering that City will not feature key figures like Sergio Agüero, David Silva, Fernandinho and possibly Gabriel Jesús compared to previous encounters It could be argued that the Manchester team will be more vulnerable to these events.
The pressure tactic has always been favored by Klopp, particularly in high-profile competitions, and the German is famous for stating: “No playmaker in the world can be as good as a good counter pressure situation.”
As the Reds have evolved, Liverpool have deviated from that relentless pressure approach in large part because most opponents are unwilling to allow such situations to arise; many teams just hit long instead of trying to keep the ball on the ground and build from behind against Klopp’s men, but City won’t go back to that plan.
Guardiola’s players will commit to building moves through Ederson’s thirds of the field, and given that Klopp now has a relatively weaker side, it’s reasonable to suggest that he could lean on his pressing roots at the Etihad, where Liverpool are essentially. at its most dangerous when City has the ball.
Exactly how both coaches will interpret the challenge ahead remains to be seen, but given City’s stuttering attack, their dedication to building from behind, and Liverpool’s imperfect defense, it would make perfect sense for Klopp to give up possession and stay compact for take advantage of the mistakes the City makes when trying to find vacancies.
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