We are three brothers, Dave, Christian, and Matt, from Philadelphia in the United States. We grew up playing football and are massive football fans.
Dave and Christian support Liverpool as they were at a critical age for Liverpool’s miracle in Istanbul, which sealed their fate as Liverpool fans. Matt, being the youngest brother, supports Manchester City as he came into football fandom as City were rising in relevance.
We have a weekly podcast discussing the Premier League, American soccer, and major topics in world football. We’ll be doing a recurring opinion piece on 90MAAT with our thoughts on Liverpool and City from our perspective across the Atlantic. Below are our thoughts from the 2017-2018 Premier League season.
Liverpool (Dave)
Coming into the season, I thought Liverpool were the third best team in the Premier League. The two Manchester clubs were more talented, but I thought Liverpool would compete with all the other big six clubs. My expectations on the Premier League have proven to be close to correct, but my wildest expectations have been exceeded in the Champions League. It’s been an incredible year and I love what Klopp is building with this team.
Obviously, Salah has been a revelation, but the addition of van Dijk has been even more important. With van Dijk’s addition in January, he assumed the leader & communicator role along the back line. That led to an almost immediate improvement of play across the entire defense, most notably for Karius, despite his Champions League final antics, and Lovren. Additionally, something I’ve noticed in recent weeks is the markedly improved play on set pieces. Specifically on corners, the team has employed a zonal marking system that is often derided by commentators and pundits. I’ve been thoroughly impressed by how well this system has worked at defending these set pieces and have confidence that I haven’t had in years with this defense.
Heading into this offseason, if Liverpool can keep the core of its talented roster together, pick up an additional starting calibre center back and find one or two depth players each at midfield & attack, I expect them to make a legitimate title challenge next year. I have the utmost faith in Jurgen Klopp and his transfer policy, so I am very excited for the present and future of this historic club.
Manchester City (Matt)
The preseason showed me that the “Pep Style” of play was starting to look possible at Manchester City. After a full season under his command and some key transfers brought in this summer, City were looking like a top club in Europe. I thought City would win the league comfortably and my expectations were correct. I wanted City to compete for a Champions League title and that dream fell short because of a great performance by Liverpool. Winning two domestic trophies in very convincing fashion and setting multiple records in the Premier League made up for the Champions League performance. Overall, I had the most enjoyable season as a fan of Manchester City.
The style of play obviously came from Pep, but the way the players adapted to the system was fantastic. De Bruyne, for me, was the best player in the Premier League this season. David Silva and Fernandinho were fantastic all year long. Sane, Aguero, Jesus and Sterling all had pretty good seasons but were a little inconsistent. Luckily, they each were underwhelming when the other forwards were in form, so City didn’t miss a stride. I never expected the signing of a goalkeeper to have as big of an impact on a club as Ederson had on City. He was absolutely incredible, and miles better than I ever anticipated. His ability to play perfect passes up to 60-70 yards away from goal gave City the ability to start an attack from anywhere on the pitch. The defense was solid this season but still has room for improvement. Hopefully, the team signs one new defender this summer.
For next season, I have similar expectations as this past season. I do not expect another team to be able to close the gap in the Premier League this offseason and I expect City to make a deep run in the Champions League. I never expect one team to win the Champions League because so much fortune must go that team’s way for them to win the competition, but City has the depth and talent to challenge for the Champions League trophy. Pep just signed on until 2021 and I am very excited for the future of Manchester City.
Those are our thoughts on Liverpool and Man City’s 2017-2018 season. We’ll be posting additional pieces throughout the summer and transfer window, so look for our next article coming soon.
And to learn more about us and/or contact us, please check out our website brostalkingsoccerpodcast.com.
Written by Bros Talking Soccer.
