3 Things We Learned From Liverpool vs Manchester City
Manchester City compelling start to the campaign was put through their most precarious test when they visited Anfield Row this weekend.
Before the game, there were questions like:
Can The Citizens beat Arsenal 2001/02 strong record, can they go a full season unbeaten, are they capable of beating everyone, everywhere, etc.?
Liverpool won 4:3 and here are three things we learned from the match!
Manchester City not invincible
The loss at Anfield was a real slap in the face for Manchester City and a quick reminder that no matter how superior you are, there are still teams who can put you on the ground.
For this reason, Jurgen Klopp had a precise plan to outnumber City’s midfield and aggressively press the Center backs. Especially targeted was John Stones who didn’t have an answer and was at fault for 2 of 4 goals.
However, The Citizens still enjoy 12 points lead at the top of the table and is still mind-boggling to think anyone could trouble their title chances.
No Coutinho, no problem!
After such a performance you can’t but not ask yourself. Is Liverpool the best-attacking force in the whole world?
Yes, you read that right!
There was fear after among Liverpool fans that after the news that Coutinho has left Liverpool for Barcelona, they wouldn’t cope without their playmaker and will struggle until they find a proper replacement. Of course, he will be missed, but Liverpool is much more than just one player.
Salah, Firmino, Mane and even Oxlade-Chamberlain were all remarkable and proved they could do it even without their ‘’Little magician’’.
However, The Reds have another problem which has to be resolved as soon as possible.
Liverpool must find a solution in defense
As much as they are impressive up front, they have apparent omissions in defense, and that is becoming a big problem for Jurgen Klopp’s side.
There is a sentence I found on the internet, it said ‘’ Liverpool can score as many as they like against any team… but they can concede just the same amount.’’
Even in a match, they were dominating throughout the 90 minutes; they somehow managed to put their victory in jeopardy and concede three goals, two of them in the last five minutes, to cause massive panic.
Dejan Lovren, Joel Matip, and Ragnar Klavan are all solid players, but apparently, not good enough for Liverpool and The Premier League. The addition of Virgil van Dijk might be a partial answer to their problems, but still, they’ll have to find him a proper partner and most importantly, a new goalkeeper.
If they are to challenge for the title next year, Klopp must find cohesion between the stylishness in attack and the dreadfulness in defense.
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