Before the international break commenced, Premier League fans were treated to a clash between Liverpool and Manchester City. This game did not disappoint and was perhaps the best advert for the top-flight so far this season.
Two of the greatest teams that, perhaps, the whole of English football has ever seen; both at their best, horns locked, playing in one of the most iconic stadiums and atmospheres in the world. The title race situation had ballooned expectations of the game up to absurdly high levels, yet it did nothing but live up to them.
Passions were high, drama (or VAR-ma as it usually is and still was in this case) was rife, and tensions definitely flew past boiling point. But the greatest spectacle, beyond any doubt, was the football itself. ‘End-to-end’ hardly fits the intensity of the game.
We have become accustomed to seeing both teams play their football, the fluid passing displays of Guardiola’s Manchester City and the rapid, energetic football of Klopp’s Liverpool, and there could have been fears that one, or both, of these styles might have been compromised in search of a result.
There were tweaks and changes, yes, both teams set up differently as well, but it only made the football more intense, more exciting, more scintillating. The game was an occasion, but how it was played made it a spectacle.
An in-depth look
When preparing for such a vital game as this, any level-headed manager would go out of their way to prepare their team and come up with a strategy to beat the opponent. Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp are, without a doubt, way beyond simply being ‘level-headed’ – they are two of the greatest managers of the modern game. Both managers’ tactical preparation was astute, and they had different plans for their teams both in and out of possession which, if we take a closer look, give us an insight into their game plans.
Both teams looked, on the face of it, to be playing their regular 4-3-3 formations – yet wherever you looked in the play there were subtle and sometimes not-so-subtle changes. Guardiola’s decision to play both Rodri and Gundogan, two conservatively-minded midfielders, may have seemed odd but it soon became apparent as to the intention: when out of possession, City pressed in a 4-4-2 formation, with Kevin De Bruyne joining Aguero upfront in order to press Liverpool’s two centre-backs.
This also meant that they could keep their wingers in the wide spaces to press Liverpool’s two creative fulcrums – full-backs Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson. If Liverpool committed more numbers out wide, City could do the same as one of the two central midfielders (Rodri and Gundogan) could easily drift out and assist. Wide overloads and the abilities of their fullbacks are a central part of Liverpool’s attacking plan, and this was Guardiola’s vision to prevent it.
But Liverpool got around this – as you might expect considering the result – through changes of their own. First, Alisson pushed up the pitch and provided an ever-present passing option for Van-Dijk and Lovren which mean that, even under the press of two “strikers”, they could alleviate pressure by passing it back to him. Secondly, Gini Wijnaldum dropped deeper and played alongside Fabinho, in a double pivot, not only to match City’s midfield but to add yet more passing options when playing out from the back.
Klopp also had his team play the game at an extremely high-tempo, with as many turnovers as possible, to disrupt City from getting into shape and being able to press in an organised manner. The last tactic, and most critical, comes with a statistic you might not expect.
Liverpool have played the third most long passes per game in the Premier League this season (66), beaten only by Burnley (72) and Sheffield United (75). For a team regarded stereotypically as a passing side, it seems strange that they have such high long pass numbers – but this season they have played a more direct playing style than in former seasons, with a great number of switches between fullbacks Alexander-Arnold and Robertson.
This was the spark that created Liverpool’s second goal, when a magnificent cross-field ball from Alexander-Arnold gave Robertson acres of space and time to deliver an inch-perfect cross for Mohamed Salah.
Alternatively, when Liverpool were out of possession, they stuck with the vaguely similar 4-3-3 we are used to seeing from them. One of the most notable changes they did make, however, was the positioning of MSalah and Roberto Firmino who changed places in the front three. Firmino drifted over to the right while the Egyptian roamed centrally, which can be seen as both an offensive and defensive alteration.
By having Salah, surely the quickest of those three attackers, in the middle, Liverpool could be deadlier and more threatening in their counterattacks. Firmino is also undoubtedly better defensively than Salah, and having him on the right meant he could assist Henderson in pressing City’s left-back Angelino and their left-winger, and greatest threat, Raheem Sterling.
While this change did mean Liverpool’s route of using Firmino as a playmaker was less available than usual, Klopp realised that City would control more possession than Liverpool would and that playing through the full-backs was a more successful option. It was a change that fully paid off.
Angels and Demons
The tactics weren’t the only things that affected the game’s result though – the performances of individual players contributed massively, mostly on City’s side.
One player in particular who failed to impress was Sergio Aguero who contributed very little for his 70 minutes of game-time. The Argentine didn’t lack for service but he was particularly selfish with his use of the ball, opting to take shots on goal nearly every single time he picked it up – all of which either missed the mark or were taken easily in Alisson’s hands. This selfishness was not lost on his teammates, often exasperated as they stood unmarked or with an open goal in front of them after another failed attempt by Aguero. Guardiola was clearly not too happy with his performance either, and he was promptly substituted for Gabriel Jesus with the crucial twenty minutes left.
De Bruyne was another who failed to properly sparkle under the Anfield spotlights. His set-piece delivery hit the usual heights of sublimity, but the player with the highest number of assists this season seemed slightly off the pace in open play from the outset. Miscontrolling the ball and wayward passes are the last thing you might expect, yet his game was plagued with such errors and the Belgian seemed far from his best.
If those were the game’s devils, then a word must surely put in for the angels on both sides. In this case, the aptly named Angelino had a fantastic performance in only his second game this season and his first at Anfield, with some lovely dinked balls and shot that came closer than Aguero did all night. The workhorse that is Bernardo Silva can hardly ever be faulted, and it was his effort and goal that kept the game alive in the second half.
Liverpool had more than their fair share of them. Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold can be, almost indisputably, named the best full-back pairing in the world. The qualities that have given them that title were on show once again, and their halos can be firmly fixed on. Gini Wijnaldum is yet another who comes from heaven bearing gifts – in this instance gifts of fantastic dribbling, ball retention and an eye for the simple pass that weaves an attacking move together.
The Brazilian midfielder, Fabinho has settled fabulously into the holding position of Liverpool’s midfield, and the 40 million spent on him could be considered more than a steal with his performances both sides of the summer this year. He was the provider of more than just defensive joy here, with a sweet strike that caused Anfield to erupt. Perhaps, with Christmas lurking around the corner, a few of them will tempted into putting Fabinho figures atop their Christmas trees this year.
Looking to the horizon
Manchester City lost four games and drew two from their 38 games last season, but in 2019/2020 they’ve already drawn one and lost three with less than a third of the games played. At this rate, they’re on to draw three and lose nine – unprecedented numbers for a manager such as Guardiola, but a return to the scintillating form and defensive integrity of years past does not look any closer.
The Premier League is clearly stronger this year, and despite the defensive injuries they seem to be constantly amassing, City are undeniably being found out more and more often. It won’t do anything to wane off any fears to learn that the Citizens have had the second easiest start to the season in the whole league, and have the 9th hardest run of fixtures for the rest of the season. Things aren’t great now, but they might become messy.
In Merseyside, nobody wants to say it. They’re afraid of it. Experience has taught them not to get their hopes up. But there must be a silent sense that, finally, this could be their year. Unbeaten, 11 wins from 12 games, and the third easiest fixture schedule for the remainder of the year are signs that only seem to point in one direction. For Liverpool, a first league title in 30 years is on the horizon.
