Manchester City v Liverpool: Match Preview
Saturday November 21st, 2015 | Kick-off: 17:30 GMT | Coverage: Live on Sky Sports 1.
There are no nice defeats, but one directly prior to an international break is undoubtedly among the worst. Not only is Roy Hodgson blow dried and set to be wheeled out on his sedan chair, but we now have to endure his continued presence on Earth whilst simultaneously stewing on everything that went wrong against Crystal Palace. It feels like an entirely unjust double punishment, and one that has seen the narrative and perception on where Liverpool Football Club finds itself at this point in time revisited once again. Less than three weeks ago Juergen Klopp found himself deflecting opportunistic talk of a title challenge after a wonderfully satisfying victory at Stamford Bridge made it five unbeaten and two wins on the bounce for the charismatic German, and yet eight days later and following yet more dropped points in what can only be described as Groundhog Day at Anfield that narrative was turned upside down, as taglines such as unbeaten in eleven, quickly became two league wins since mid-August, and subsequently the nature of the upcoming fixture at The Etihad has evolved from somewhat of a bonus game for the Reds, into something far more significant. Whilst it remains too early to be labeling games as anything akin to 'must win', or even 'must not lose', the prospect of the gap to fourth increasing to ten points is worrisome in relation to the seasons prospects. Equally though, it's worth noting that the run of fixtures following this one reads; Swansea (h), Southampton (a), Newcastle (a), West Brom (h), Watford (a), Leicester (h) and West Ham (a), and with each of the major away trips out of the way there will be an opportunity to close any gap.
In contrast to the fluid nature of the short-term, popular narrative though, the wider picture remains bright. The growing doubts around the longer term ambitions of the club have been dampened, as the hope of a unified vision finally being implemented in how to achieve them is re-instilled. Furthermore, visible signs of progress are evident on the field already, and that despite the club topping the Premier League injury table, with ten players currently exchanging war stories in the Melwood treatment rooms. That list includes the star striker, club captain and first choice centre-back; The spine of the team. Remove the equivalent players from most teams the world over and you'll witness an impact. It certainly hasn't aided the new manager during the early weeks of his reign, and yet his message has been refreshing in its unwavering positivity. Belief is something that the German has referenced several times since his arrival at the club, and it's evidently something that he possesses both in himself, but also in the potential of the squad of players he has inherited. That belief will take a while longer to transmit to the players and the club he now leads though, still fleeting somewhere between sporadic and entirely elusive following eighteen months of under-performance. The hope however, has undoubtedly returned, and that's equally important in representing the foundation upon which belief and ultimately progression can be constructed. Hope is what defines the underlying mood of a football club and by extension that of its supporters, without which there is nothing but darkness and despair. The fabled escape from reality becomes a Sunday afternoon trudge around an overcrowded Asda with the kids in tow, with nothing to show for it when you arrive home but a headache and an unwelcome dent in your bank account. Depressing, frustrating and generally unsatisfactory. There will undoubtedly be more storms to traverse before we see the clichéd golden sky, but the very fact that talk of an emerging horizon exists once again is the single biggest progression made under Klopp thus far. For the supporters, and no doubt those within the club as well, that's a significant step forward.
And so to Manchester City; A club quite literally afforded the ability to step out of the shadows following the Abu Dhabi takeover in September 2008. I always quite liked City. Well, as much as you can possibly like a club from the other end of the M62. They're not United, for one (the enemy of my enemy...), plus I always thought of them as something approaching the romantic notion of a proper club. Given their historical tendency for spontaneous implosion there was an element of quiet admiration for the loyalty of their long suffering support as well. Oh, and Kinkladze. Did I mention him yet? A lovely player to watch when he was in form. The word 'mercurial' was made for him. And then there's Maine Road. Memorable to me as being the venue of my first ever away trip, as well as to this date the only away ground i've found myself seated in the wrong end. From memory I was about twelve at the time and I went with my dad, who spent most of the journey preaching the importance of subtlety on such occasions. Of not drawing any undue attention to ourselves and of blending in. No colours, keep quiet - that kind of thing. The pre-teen me of course nodded furious and consistent agreement. It all made perfect sense and felt like my early initiation into football away trips. I was determined to prove myself and in turn ensure that I was included in the next planned outing. It was all going perfectly well - right until David Thompson thundered in a twenty-five yarder mid-way through the first half and the next thing I know i'm in the air, fist pumping, as the Mancunian faces that surround us look menacingly towards the spotty intruder who just landed amid a sea of groaning blue shirts, and my dad, sat to my left, shakes his head in disbelief. A shrug of the shoulders and; "I couldn't help it" as I retreated to my seat was met with the kind of look that said; "I'm not angry, just disappointed". We lost that game in the end, and my dad, unsurprisingly, didn't take me away from home again for a while. By God did I enjoy that first away goal though. It's moments and emotion like that that continues to make this beautiful game of ours what it is.
All of this was old City, of course. Pre-Abu Dhabi City. Now it's different, and not so much because they've since gone on to consolidate themselves as a perennial top four club and title challenger, but more so the unshakable feeling within me that we laid out the red carpet, popped 'Blue Moon' on the record player and simply offered them our seat at the top table the moment we agreed to sell the club to Messrs Hicks and Gillet. The City support regularly pay homage to Sheikh Mansour and his ownership group for the positive impact they've had on the club, and rightly so, but perhaps they should tip a cap in the direction of the Lone Star State as well. Without the intervention of the Texan and his one-time friend the challenge might've been a little less straight forward. Now, I'm fully aware that this is in fact a frustration with the underlying competence (or otherwise) of Liverpool Football Club and the men in suits who decide its direction, which I'm consciously projecting onto an entirely separate entity in Manchester City Football Club, who simply became relevant, and through our own failings were permitted to overtake us. Regardless, that feeling of regret each time I reflect on our respective current positions remains and the ghost of the previous regime at Liverpool Football Club, seated before a roaring fire with a club branded mug in hand and Snoogy Doogy playing softly in the background, lingers on.
Personal frustrations with the current landscape aside, they're not a bad team, are they? There's certainly no debating that particular point. Delightful to watch at times, the manner and seeming ease with which they go about utilising any and all space afforded in unlocking well organised and often crowded opposition defences is an aspect of their play that I can't help but admire, particularly so given our own troubles in that regard. The patience and intricacy, allied with intelligence and underpinned by belief is something to first aspire to, and then to better. Boasting some of the finest talents in the game, a visit to the blue half of Manchester isn't one that many clubs have enjoyed in recent years and we've been no exception. The last time the Reds emerged with three points - on the 5th of October 2008 - the ink on Sheikh Monsour's purchase agreement was still damp and Kings of Leon's Sex on Fire was at number one. On that occasion a Fernando Torres brace and a Zabaleta red card helped Rafa's men overturn a two goal half time deficit. Since then it's been just two points from the previous five meetings as the alternate trajectories of the two clubs during that period has played out in the results. The two week break should see the return from injury of pivotal members of both squads. Jordan Henderson and (whisper it) Daniel Sturridge are expected to come back into the fold for Liverpool (although the latter remains unlikely to feature here), whilst David Silva and Sergio Aguero are also poised to provide the Sky Blues with a similarly welcome boost.
Form and statistics:
Manchester City
Last five (all competitions):
Aston Villa 0-0 Manchester City
Sevilla 1-3 Manchester City
Manchester City 2-1 Norwich
Manchester City 5-1 Crystal Palace
Manchester United 0-0 Manchester City
League form:
W W W L L W W D W D
Attack rank (home): 1st
Attack rank (away): 10th
Attack rank (overall): 1st
Defence rank (home): 5th
Defence rank (away): 1st
Defence rank (overall): 2nd
Current position: 1st
Liverpool
Last five (all competitions):
Liverpool 1-2 Crystal Palace
FC Rubin 0-1 Liverpool
Chelsea 1-3 Liverpool
Liverpool 1-0 Bournemouth
Liverpool 1-1 Southampton
League form:
D L L D W D D D W L
Attack rank (home): 11th
Attack rank (away): 15th
Attack rank (overall): 12th
Defence rank (home): 12th
Defence rank (away): 4th
Defence rank (overall): 9th
Current position: 10th
Head-to-head; Last five:
01/03/15 Liverpool 2-1 Manchester City
25/08/14 Manchester City 3-1 Liverpool
13/04/14 Liverpool 3-2 Manchester City
26/12/13 Manchester City 2-1 Liverpool
03/02/13 Manchester City 2-2 Liverpool
Prediction:
In his short time at the club Klopp has already experienced trips to White Hart Lane and Stamford Bridge, taking four points from six and faring well. From solid to expansive with gradually increasing organisation and intensity, as players become accustomed to the demands of the new boss. You certainly wouldn't put it past the man from The Black Forest to gegenpress his way to something here as well, and for the sake of the clubs league targets for this season they possibly need to. Head back down the M62 with a point or more and the oft-lacking belief will continue to develop as we move towards the busy festive period. Regardless of the outcome though, the hope surrounding the longer term prospects of the club will remain unaltered as the clouds continue to part.
Manchester City 1-1 Liverpool
