The Sunday Times - UK (2022-04-10)

10 April 10, 2022The Sunday Times

Football

JUST A MARK

BETWEEN

THEM: HOW THE

EXPECTED

TEAMS RATE

OVERALL HEAD TO HEAD

HOW THEY COMPARE IN THE

PREMIER LEAGUE THIS SEASON

Drawn

55

Manchester City

wins

58

Liverpool

wins

105

Tot al

218

The statistics show that there is almost

nothing to separate Manchester City and

Liverpool over the course of this Premier

League season

ANATOMY OF

... THE TITLE DECIDER

Manchester City Liverpool

68.47 Possession (%) 62.52

70 Goals scored 77

18 Goals conceded 20

203 Shots on target 211

92 Big chances created 115

863 Touches per game 801

18 Clean sheets 18

35 Yellow cards 36

1 Red cards 1

WHERE ARE THE GOALS COMING FROM?

Top scorers in all competitions this year

Manchester City

Riyad Mahrez 22

Raheem Sterling 14

Kevin De Bruyne 13

Liverpool

Mo Salah 28

Diogo Jota 20

Sadio Mané 15

d ddd

er ereeeeerrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

thinking, “We can do this”. They

have nothing to lose.

But there is so little to choose

between the teams. People have

asked me to name a composite side. I

simply can’t do it. I can pick three:

Virgil van Dijk starts in defence,

Kevin De Bruyne in midfield and

Mohamed Salah up front. But after

that, where do you begin? Even

starting with the goalkeepers I can’t

decide between Ederson and Allison.

And once you get on to the forwards

it becomes impossible. How can you

start to pick just three out of Salah,

Diogo Jota, Sadio Mané, Raheem

Sterling, Jack Grealish, Riyad Mahrez

and so many others?

City alone have the best squad I’ve

ever seen in English football. De

Bruyne is the only player they can’t

really replace if he’s out. Every other

player has someone who could

replace them and play just as well.

It may sound odd but they are so

good, so dominant in games that I

almost get bored of watching them —

M

ake no mistake, these are

the best two teams in

Europe. Come May and

the Champions League

final that may no longer

be the case, as they may

have lost form or

suffered injuries. But

right here, right now, this weekend,

these two teams are as good as it gets.

The players will know what is

riding on the game and they will be

feeling the pressure. Both these

teams could go on to win their

remaining seven games after this, so

a slip-up in this could well be critical.

A mistake by a player could end up

costing the title and a moment of

brilliance could win it.

If anything it is worse for City

because at one point in January they

were 14 points clear. Lose today and

they will be kicking themselves,

thinking they have thrown it away. It

would be really damaging for them.

As hard as they try not to think about

it, that will be in some players’ heads.

Liverpool, on the other hand, have

come back from the dead. They have

won ten in a row since early January.

They won the two games in hand

they had over City, while Pep

Guardiola’s side have lost to

Tottenham Hotspur and drawn away

to Southampton and Crystal Palace.

It has been a great effort from

Jürgen Klopp and the backroom staff

to keep the team believing, but that is

much easier to do when you have

won the league and the European

Cup, as this team have. That gives you

the knowledge and belief that you

can do it.

The Anfield crowd will have

helped as well. It is a great place to

play football as the fans never panic.

As long as you are having a go for

them they will keep believing and

keep supporting. Now they’ve got the

momentum with them. They are

going into this game full of beans

it’s a procession. If I miss the start of

the game and come in to watch on TV

midway through the first half, I start

counting the number of players on

the opposition side. I’m thinking,

“They must have had a player sent

off, it’s so one-sided”.

They get to the opposition’s

18-yard box with ease and at times

they look to score the perfect goal —

that’s why I think, as great as they

are, they still need that

out-and-out goalscorer who isn’t

going to want to score the perfect

goal all the time. If they got a Harry

Kane or Erling Haaland they would

get those goals and not lose anything

in build-up play.

That defeat by Spurs, in which

Kane played so well, was a case in

point. City had 71 per cent possession

and yet lost 3-2. With Kane or the

equivalent up front they would have

won that game. If you are scoring

more goals everyone else plays

better. If you were scoring two goals

you are now scoring three goals.

Instead of winning 3-0 you are now

winning 5-0. It spreads confidence.

Liverpool are a better team to

watch. They are a side who are very

aggressive and take the ball forward

quicker and have foxes in the box in

Jota and Salah. Either of those players

would be a dream for City.

It could all come down to just one

moment. You can have all the plans

you like, but the quality of players on

display will ruin them all. Great

teams are those who come up with

solutions when their opponents set

out to stop them. People know what

Lionel Messi is going to do, people

know what Salah or De Bruyne are

going to do. But knowing what

they’re going to do and stopping

them is a completely different thing.

The big players turn up in the big

games, that’s why they are big

players — and that’s what will decide

this match.

Graeme Souness

The players will be feeling the

pressure... in a season this close

they know just one mistake

could cost their side the title

LIVERPOOL

Man City (a)

today

Man Utd (h)

Apr 19

Everton (h)

Apr 24

Newcastle (a)

Apr 30

Tottenham (h)

May 7

Aston Villa (a)

May 10

Southampton

(a) May 15

Wolves (h)

May 22

MAN CITY

Liverpool (h)

today

Wolves (a)

date tbc

Brighton (h)

Apr 20

Watford (h)

Apr 23

Leeds (a)

Apr 30

Newcastle (h)

May 8

West Ham (a)

May 15

Aston Villa (h)

May 22

RUN-INS FOR TITLE

RACE CONTENDERS

strongest suit but his quality on

the ball makes up for it

ILKAY 8/10

GUNDOGAN

The German has not been as

stellar as last season, but he is

still a midfield goal threat and is

composed and classy in

possession

RODRI 8/10

Continues to blossom in

terms of influence and build-up

play and performs an

essential role in stemming

counterattacks

BERNARDO 9/10

SILVA

Few players have fused energy

JOHN 7/10

STONES

Only nine league starts this

season but eight involved City

clean sheets. Big day for him in

Rúben Dias’s absence

AYMERIC 8/10

LAPORTE

Tough, wonderful on the ball

and a threat at set pieces.

Perhaps slightly lacking

in pace and mobility but his

intelligence often

compensates

JOÃO 9/10

CANCELO

More than a full back, a roving

creator and facilitator.

Maybe defending is not his

EDERSON 9/10

The best passer and boldest

sweeper of all goalkeepers.

Perfect for Guardiola’s style

KYLE 8/10

WALKER

Exceptional recovery pace and

a superb competitor, but

positioning not always perfect

MANCHESTER

CITY

By Jonathan Northcroft

RAHEEM 9/10

STERLING

Another who is in top form. Has

played the role of creator more

than finisher in recent weeks

but done it so well

SUBS 8/10

Guardiola has great attacking

alternatives on his bench

but there is a drop-off in other

positions

PEP 10/10

GUARDIOLA

A genius and serial winner who

looks like he’s enjoying himself

as much as he has at any point

in his career

TOTAL 111/130

and quality like the Portugal

midfielder. He is as much an

individual threat as a

consummate team player

KEVIN 9/10

DE BRUYNE

Back to his best recently,

with six goal involvements

in his past five matches. A

player for the big games and

big moments

PHIL 9/10

FODEN

The man Liverpool should

fear most, given his

performances against them. He

has energy, a rare football

brain, speed and is near-

perfect technically

and q

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