Manchester City beaten at last! 3 Things we learned
Liverpool became the first team to beat Manchester City since April of last season, putting an end to their 22-match unbeaten start. Here are three things we learned from the match.
Liverpool beat City at Anfield on Sunday, due to an incredible run in the early stages of the second half that gave them a 4-1 lead. City scored two goals and made Liverpool feel the pressure at the end. Here are three takeaways from what could be the match of the season.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain could be the new Phillipe Coutinho
It’s important to not be too reactionary here as one game, at home, is not a large enough sample size to adequately claim that Liverpool’s attack will be okay without Coutinho. But in today’s match, Liverpool’s attack was as breathtaking as ever and Oxlade-Chamberlain was the reason why.
He was the hook between midfield and attack, helping to execute Liverpool’s game plan of dominating the middle of the field by winning second balls and turning turnovers in the middle of the pitch into attacking opportunities in the blink of an eye.
Oxlade-Chamberlain finished with a goal and an assist to cap off his man of the match performance. After the Virgil Van Dijk signing, it seems likely that someone within the squad will have to replace Coutinho at least until the summer transfer window. Today, Oxlade-Chamberlain made his case.
Van Dijk might be the final piece to the puzzle
$75 million center back signing Van Dijk was expected to make his Premier League debut today, but a hamstring injury forced him to remain on the sidelines. Liverpool went with a center back pairing of Joel Matip and Dejan Lovren, and had Joe Gomes and Andrew Robertson occupy the full back positions.
The defense was solid through the first 40-minutes, but a string of errors stemming from inexperience and mental lapses allowed City to pull level. Kyle Walker played an incredible ball to switch the pitch but Gomez let it get underneath him which allowed Leroy Sane to slip inside. Sane was then one-vs-one with Matip who didn’t force him on to his weaker foot, and then young keeper Loris Karius who made a surprising start left his near post unguarded and Sane capitalized on all this, and thumped the ball into the back of the net.
In the second half, Liverpool took control of the game because they shrunk the field and kept the ball in their half which meant their defenders didn’t have to do much defending.
Trailing 4-1, City threw bodies forward and Liverpool couldn’t contain them and looked as weary as ever.
Defending has been Liverpool’s weak spot before Klopp took over and it hasn’t changed with him at the helm.
With Van Dijk though, Liverpool’s back line could finally be a strong one, which would allow them to go neck-and-neck for next season’s title.
Guardiola and Klopp need to stay forever
The Manchester rivalry is the easy spectacle to root for as it brings out the Manchester derby, Guardiola vs. Jose Mourinho, old vs. new, and many other match-ups that are the media’s dream.
However, Liverpool vs. City – and more importantly Klopp vs. Guardiola – is the rivalry that every neutral fan and media member should root for to dominate the league.
Mourinho and his pragmatism lead to what can almost be called an anti-football approach. He doesn’t use the talent as his disposal to set his teams up to beat the opposition, he uses it to nullify them. From there, he relies on his talent to come up with the minimal goals they require for victory.
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It became abundantly clear today that both Liverpool and City don’t use this approach. Klopp and Guardiola send their talent out believing they can out play their opposition – which they can – and then dare their opponents to take the game to them or to try and nullify what they do.
That’s why this match ended 4-3, with all seven goals coming from open play. It was aesthetically pleasing, and easy on the eye. Klopp and Guardiola aren’t just the managers the Premier League wants, they are the managers it needs.