Manchester City v LiverpoolThere might be no better way to deal with the disappointment of dropping a lead against Arsenal then to play the League Champions immediately after. Although this sounds counterintuitive, the fact remains that the players will be more motivated for this game than if it were, say, QPR, so maximum effort can be expected again. However, City pose an almost completely different challenge to the one encountered with Arsenal, and how we set up in that game should in no way be an indicator of how we will set up in this one. It might be that this will be the most traditional Rodgers-system performance of the season – certainly against the top ten teams, at any rate.
City’s System – City will probably play with a 4-2-3-1 system, but it’s a system that could cause Liverpool problems. Their “3” in the attacking midfield area play mobile and tight, and are highly skillful. With Liverpool’s propensity to lose the direct aerial battle, and with Mancini being a traditional Italian tactician, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him use the attacking midfield “3” playing off Edin Dzeko up front, with Zabaleta providing attacking width, Gael Clichy balancing the defensive width on the other side, and the attacking midfield made up of Nasri, Silva and Tevez. Garcia and Barry will possibly play the defensive mid positions, with Lescott and Nastasic anchoring the defence:
What City were so lethal at last year, though, is something they seem to be sorely missing this season – they used to be excellent at attacking quickly down the channels, with support arriving fast, and then spreading the play from one side to the other in search of an opening. This season, the attack is more individual, with a lot of burden on Silva, and Nasri to make the play, and the individualism coming from Tevez and Aguero. Dzeko, as mentioned, would lend a battering ram effect, and will be dangerous on set pieces as much as open play. Zabaleta on the attack could cause problems, although problems with a silver lining in terms of the space he leaves with his own aggressive attacking. Defensively they will press hard, but also will be happy to fall back into their own half and defend from there. They are defensively strong, with less goals per game conceded than any other team so far, with an average of 0.79 goals conceded, so defensively they will be quite strong. Attack-wise, though, they are not far off Liverpool, and in fact are relatively inefficient in comparison to their defence, scoring only 1.87 goals per game, compared to Liverpool’s 1.75
Liverpool’s System – Liverpool can approach the game one of two ways. The first way would be to play a strict 4-2-3-1 to match City’s shape. On the face of it, this makes sense, so long as the “2-1” in the middle are Lucas, Gerrard and Henderson again. This game will be different than the Arsenal game as we are sure to play more expansively than we did on the bigger and wider Emirates pitch. What could work against us is the narrowness of the City attacking midfield, which would lead to an overload in the central zone:
With this in mind, and considering Zabaleta’s attacking tendencies, it would probably mean Enrique playing as left back and marking Zabaleta, leaving Lucas and Gerrard to look after Nasri and Tevez. This would allow Agger and Skrtel to double up on Dzeko, but would require Johnson to pinch in to help out with Silva when we lost the ball, which might dull his attacking edge, especially as Clichy can be beaten in a 1v1 situation. The front 4 would probably be Henderson, Downing, Sturridge and Suarez; but for a game like this, it might be an idea for Rodgers to put Suarez as the central forward, Sturridge coming in off the right, thus locking up Clichy on that side and with Zabaleta’s attacking runs, Downing would have a lot of space to work in. Henderson would again have to work hard to occupy Garcia and Barry, but if Downing can track back, it would release Enqrique to pinch in, and Gerrard to step to Barry and lighten the workload for Henderson.
An alternative, though, would be to do something different against City, like we did against Arsenal, and play a 3-4-1-2, with Carragher replacing Downing and going central, Enrique and Johnson as wingbacks, the same midfield three, and Suarez playing off Sturridge up front. This would force City to make a number of changes to their shape, with the possibility of Garcia dropping in to make a back three, meaning that Johnson and Enrique are now 1v1 on the City fullbacks. Skrtel and Carragher could then shadow Dzeko, leaving Agger room to step out to Nasri or Tevez. The midfield three could then match their midfield three, and the game would then come down to who’s back three could contain the other team’s forwards better. Sturridge might have extra motivation to score against City, and might be more mobile and aggressive, which would free up space for Suarez to cause some damage. An alternative to Carragher would be Wisdom, of course, with Skrtel central. Coutinho could come on for Sturridge or Henderson near the end of the game, too, with Downing as back-up for Enqrique if needed:
Additionally, too, if Liverpool 3-4-1-2 DID force City to switch, it would be likely that Nasri or a replacement (Milner?) would have to drop in to help Barry, further lightening their attacking potency. It is more likely that BR will stick with the 4-2-3-1, but a 3-4-1-2 wouldn’t be unexpected, and he has shown that he is flexible when it is needed.
Set Pieces – City are very good at set pieces, with 6 goals from corners, and 6 goals from direct and indirect free kicks. Dzeko particularly is a threat, so marking on set-pieces has to be a lot better than it was against United, Oldham and Arsenal. City are slightly more efficient in attack than Liverpool, so it could be another tight game, but there is a sense that this game, albeit against the League Champions, offers more potential for a win than the Arsenal game did. A lot might rest on the shape the team takes up, how the forwards are positioned, and how we cope with the City attacking midfield and their set-pieces.
