Manchester City was able to beat their guest, Liverpool 4-1 (1/4/24) in the Premier League competition continued in Week 28 of the 2022/23 season. Actually, this match was quite risky because most of the players from the two teams had just returned from international duty with their national teams. Usually, the task with the national team is a scourge and disaster for the big European teams. Aside from the physical conditions, such as injuries and fatigue, the players also have to readjust to the team climate and competition.
However, Man City was able to overcome the situation. Playing in front of his own supporters, Man City appeared superior to Liverpool. Man City played without their flagship striker who is also the Premier League’s top scorer, Erling Haaland due to injury. His injury forced Haaland to miss playing with the Norwegian national team.
His place was replaced by Julian Alvarez. This young striker from Argentina managed to contribute one goal, and the goal equalized the score with Liverpool in the first half. Alvarez’s movement made it difficult for Liverpool defenders Virgin van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate. Alvarez’s contribution also provided fresh air for Man City coach Pep Guardiola until Erling Haaland was completely fit. In fact, Alvarez also seemed to give a message that even without Haaland, Man City could appear aggressive.
Even without Haaland, Man City appeared aggressive and quite difficult for Liverpool’s defense. Man City recorded 17 shots against Liverpool with 8 on target and produced 4 goals. Meanwhile, Liverpool is so fragile.
Winning first through Mohamed Salah’s goal in the 17th minute, Liverpool’s game was completely dictated by Man City’s game. Liverpool’s counter-attack method was blunt. Only 4 shots on goal were directed at Man City’s goal. In this match, Pep conducted an experiment. J. Stones, who is usually played as a central defender, is partnered with Rodri as a defensive midfielder. When Liverpool controlled the ball and counterattacked, Stones also took a position in the back row of Man City. This certainly makes it difficult for Liverpool’s attackers to develop the game.
Not to mention, the four midfielders that Guardiola played in the midfield. Apart from controlling the midfield, R. Mahrez, K. De Bruyne, I. Gundongan and J. Grealish often troubled Man City’s defense while simultaneously outperforming the central area of the game. Except for Mahrez, three other midfielders managed to write their names on the scoreboard.
In short, Liverpool not only lost tactics. However, the quality of Man City’s players is a level above Liverpool’s players. Man City’s victory is very important in the Premier League trophy hunt this season. Ranked second in the Premier League standings, Man City continues to stick to Arsenal, who are still at the top of the standings.
Incidentally, after a few hours, Arsenal also managed to win 4-1 against Leeds United at the Emirates stadium. Arsenal’s victory at the Emirates stadium was marked by the return of Gabriel Jesus to the team’s main squad.
The Brazilian national team striker suffered an injury during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Against Leeds, Coach Mikel Arteta played the former Man City player from the first minute. Jesus’ touch did not disappear even though he suffered a relatively long injury. In fact, Jesus became one of the important actors in Arsenal’s convincing victory over Leeds.
Apart from scoring 2 of Jesus’ goals against Leeds, Jesus also recorded 4 shots against Leeds in 59 minutes of playing time. This reinforces its role in helping Arsenal stay on top of the Premier League standings. The point gap between Arsenal and Man City is still 8 points adrift. It’s just that, Man City still has one match saved.
Man City continues to put pressure on Arsenal who are at the top of the standings. There are still 10 games left this season. With points still relatively close, Man City’s opportunity to overtake Arsenal is still wide open. For that, Arsenal should not be derailed. The mission of having to win until the end of the season must be on the agenda of this team nicknamed “Red Cannon”.
Arsenal actually have the advantage of only playing in the Premier League. The focus is only one competition. So, Arteta doesn’t face any complications in rotating players. Moreover, G. Jesus has returned from his injury. Evidently, in this match, Arteta benched Buyako Saka, and gave his position to L. Trossard. Saka entered the second half to replace G. Jesus. This player rotation has shown that Arteta has a choice of players who can maintain the balance of the team in the Premier League.
In contrast to Man City who are still playing in three different competitions. Apart from still competing with Arsenal in the Premier League, Man City is also considered one of the favorites to win the Champions League and FA Cup.
That is, on the one hand, Guardiola has quite a valuable task to maintain the balance of team play. Of course, the intense competition in each competition can affect the physicality of the players in maintaining the best level.
When Man City was still maintaining a consistent level from season to season in the hands of Guardiola, Liverpool had not fully recovered. In his seventh season as Liverpool coach, Jurgen Klopp faced quite a complicated situation. For this season, the most obvious target for the German coach is to bring Liverpool to the top four of the Premier League final standings.
The situation is quite complicated when considering the defeat in the last three matches. The sweet drama of Liverpool’s 7-0 big win against Manchester United was like just a moment’s entertainment. The reason is, since then, Liverpool’s performance has dropped dramatically.
Apart from losing to Real Madrid in the Champions League, the team nicknamed The Reds was defeated by the relegation zone resident team, Bernamouth. The defeat by Man City seemed to rub salt on the complicated situation experienced by Liverpool.
Indeed, the opportunity to enter the top 4 Premier League is still very open. However, the road is quite steep. The competition is fierce. Newcastle United and Tottenham, who are seen as Liverpool’s strong rivals, are in the top four Premier Leagues. Not to mention, Liverpool has to face competition from teams with dark horse status such as Brighton and Brentford.
If Liverpool did not rise and remained in a slump, the mission to enter the top 4 would only be a dream. The defeat by Man City at the Etihad stadium confirmed Liverpool’s critical condition. Liverpool have not really recovered from the slump. This is Jurgen Klopp’s job so that Liverpool can get back on the right track, as well as securing his seat as Liverpool coach next season.
ASL
