Skip to content

Marquee matchup: Can City show restraint against Liverpool?

Action Images via Reuters / Carl Recine Livepic

Manchester City was dreadful against Monaco.

Whether it's down to choosing Fernandinho over Yaya Toure, Kevin De Bruyne's recent off-colour outings culminating in a stinker, or the tactical oversights of Pep Guardiola is a matter of debate, but many City fans won't fancy what's coming next.

Liverpool, with its gegenpressing and penchant of performing against fellow sides in the top six, makes the short journey east across the M62 to the Etihad Stadium on Sunday. The Reds boast a 9-2 aggregate advantage over City since Jurgen Klopp took over, and just four league losses against the Mancunians in nearly 12 years.

The 2016-17 top six mini-table:

# Team Points
1 Liverpool 19
2 Chelsea 13
3 Tottenham Hotspur 9
4 Manchester City 7
5 Manchester United 6
6 Arsenal 5

Could things get even worse for Guardiola?

Injuries and suspensions

Vincent Kompany hasn't featured for City since January, and that isn't likely to change. Gabriel Jesus and Ilkay Gundogan are long-term absentees.

Roberto Firmino and Divock Origi face late fitness tests, while Daniel Sturridge and Jordan Henderson will definitely miss the trip. Dejan Lovren is available after featuring for the Under-23 side.

Projected lineups

Manchester City starting XI: Caballero; Zabaleta, Stones, Otamendi, Clichy; De Bruyne, Toure, Silva; Sterling, Aguero, Sane

Liverpool starting XI: Mignolet; Clyne, Matip, Lovren, Milner; Wijnaldum, Can, Lallana; Mane, Firmino, Coutinho

What to watch

The temptation for Guardiola must be to make drastic changes. Aleix Garcia will be wishing for more inclusion before the season's out, and even the largely forgotten 29-year-old Fernando must be hoping to plug the deeper areas of midfield after Monaco's Fabinho wreaked havoc in midweek.

But when facing a press - and Liverpool will press, because there's no other distinct game plan from Klopp's men - it makes sense to field players who can spread the ball when under pressure. Fernando can't do that, but Toure and De Bruyne can. Aleksandar Kolarov is okay at it, but, for all his faults, Nicolas Otamendi is better in that domain.

City should show restraint and soak up the pressure from Liverpool - something that its top-six competitors haven't done enough. The most important attacking work is done off the ball; Raheem Sterling and Leroy Sane have to stay wide, stretching the back four as much as possible, and, with Sergio Aguero, be ready to gallop when a teammate belts the ball from deep to test the visitor's high backline.

It sounds like unaesthetic, Wimbledon-esque stuff, but Guardiola isn't above it. Both goals in the 2-1 defeat of Arsenal in December were scored by these means: David Silva floated a ball over the top for Sane's equaliser, and De Bruyne belted a volley from near the halfway line and into the path of Sterling for the winner.

Burnley had success with deep, solid defensive lines and long balls last weekend, particularly via Andre Gray looking to run behind Liverpool's auxiliary left-back James Milner. Before the Monaco debacle, City was relatively stable in defence, with three consecutive clean sheets, so they should be able check Liverpool's attack for sustained periods.

City will be warned to not leave invitations to shoot from distance though. To accuse Klopp of introducing a shoot-on-sight policy is unfair, but an increase in hopeful digs is affirmed in the fact that Liverpool has scored more goals (21) from outside the box than anyone else since he's taken the helm.

It has been a cause of frustration for the Anfield faithful - for every Philippe Coutinho stunner, he sends other efforts into the high-reaching branches of Stanley Park - but it's almost as if Klopp is unbothered by giving up goal kicks to opponents, as he can then have them pressed into submission once more.

There was encouraging evidence of a greater economy to Liverpool's work in the hard-fought 2-1 home win over Burnley. The Clarets' back four were superbly organised, and the awareness of Joey Barton and Jeff Hendrick to drift wider when required helped keep chances at a premium, but the three points were ultimately earned. Georginio Wijnaldum - who's finally getting some deserved plaudits for his key role for the Reds - and Emre Can weighed in with goals, helping when likes of Coutinho and Origi were off the boil.

Klopp insisted his side was the underdog going into this test, but with the recent professional dismissals of Arsenal and Burnley who's he fooling?

Daily Newsletter

Get the latest trending sports news daily in your inbox