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“Being a Welsh Liverpool fan, this has not been a vintage weekend so far,” emails Matt Dony. “I’m hoping Liverpool can cheer me up today. The reverse fixture was chastening, but I’m sure there’ll be an improvement today. Whether it’s enough of an improvement? Eh, I’m not confident. I’d take a scrappy draw right now.”
Here come the teams.
Liverpool kept City waiting in the tunnel. Donnarumma and Ekitike embraced, former PSG teammates of course.
Bernando Silva is City’s captain today and he leads out the visitors, with Erling Haaland bringing up the rear.
This is a good read.
Arne Slot, Liverpool manager, is next to speak to Sky Sports. He reiterates that the biggest recent improvement that his side have made is their work rate out of possession.
We have made a lot of steps forward mainly off the ball, mainly with players better able to play this schedule we are playing. The biggest improvement I see is players are more ready for the combination of the Premier League and Champions League at the intensity we need.
We have both shown we are good in ball possession and can create chances. Both teams want the ball as much as possible and both have shown from a high press they are a threat as well. A good and proper counter attack can be dangerous at both ends as well.
Wirtz has improved massively with his work rate off the ball which is so vital in the Premier League. You need to be very good in every department.
Pep Guardiola, Manchester City manager, speaks to Sky Sports:
As always, we will be ourselves. Here and always, we have to be ourselves and the personality has to be shown. To ignite the fire everyone has to do it. These two clubs in the last eight years - we have been dominating the competition.
“Does it make me a bad fan/person that I really wanted Mo [Salah] to be on the bench?” asks Ian Copesake. “I haven’t forgiven him for his blow up but I preferred it when we were solid without him.”
Nope, it doesn’t.
Here is Jonathan Wilson’s big preview of today’s game.
We’re into the final minutes here: Palace lead Brighton 1-0. Join Daniel Harris for the latest.
An email from Andy Flintoff: “One big difference between last year’s champions and this year’s Liverpool team that you’ve elided is the unfortunate loss of Diogo Jota, which has obviously affected the club both tactically and mentally. They haven’t really replaced that sort of player who could always find space whether coming in from the flanks or from deep.”
This is spot on. It’s impossible to quantify just how big an impact Jota’s death must have had on the players and staff.
Two very strong XIs, and no real surprises. But look at the difference in quality and experience between the two benches.
Liverpool: Mamardashvili, Woodman, Endo, Chiesa, Jones, Robertson, Nyoni, Ramsay, Ngumoha.
Manchester City: Trafford, Dias, Reijnders, Ake, Cherki, Gonzalez, Foden, Alleyne, Lewis.
Team news!
Liverpool 4-2-3-1: Alisson; Szoboszlai, Konate, van Dijk, Kerkez; Gravenberch, Mac Allister; Salah, Wirtz, Gakpo; Ekitike
Subs: Mamardashvili, Woodman, Endo, Chiesa, Jones, Robertson, Nyoni, Ramsay, Ngumoha.
Manchester City 4-3-3: Donnarumma; Matheus Nunes, Khusanov, Guehi Ait Nouri; Silva, Rodri, O’Reilly; Semenyo, Haaland, Marmoush.
Subs: Trafford, Dias, Reijnders, Ake, Cherki, Gonzalez, Foden, Alleyne, Lewis.
Referee: Craig Pawson
Preamble
Liverpool’s decline from Premier League champions to Premier League also rans is not due to any one problem. Injuries have played their part, new signings have taken their time to bed in, Mo Salah playing well within himself, plus Arne Slot has struggled to evolve this team with the same cohesion. The Dutchman admitted on Friday that Liverpool’s issues were no more apparent than in the reverse fixture of this one – a 3-0 defeat to City in November at the Etihad – and said the “the biggest difference between this season and last season … was “how much intensity [of lack thereof] we had in our pressing as a team”.
There are lots of other metrics to point to: goalkeeper Alisson is 21st amongst the 28 goalkeepers used across the Premier League for save percentage. Only four teams have conceded more goals from set pieces than the Reds. Be a problem tactically, or with fitness or motivation, Liverpool have often not been up to their high standards.
That said, Liverpool have been excellent in their last two matches, beating Qarabag 6-0 and Newcastle 4-1. Manchester City, though, are a different proposition, and need to win here to stay in the title race. City hate it at Anfield, winning just one of their past 22 visits (and losing 14) and any dropped points here will surely hand Arsenal the title. If City do win, it will be the club’s first league double over Liverpool since 1936-37.
It’s going to be a good’un.
Kick-off: 4.30pm GMT.
