LIVERPOOL-MANCHESTER CITY
Concentration at the back, the key to beating City, says Klopp
Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp says whoever makes the least mistakes at the back will win Saturday's showdown with Manchester City.
Concentration at the back
Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp says whoever makes the least mistakes at the back will prevail in Saturday's showdown with Manchester City.
Klopp will have no uneasiness about his team’s punching power at the other end of the pitch – Liverpool are the top scorers in the Premier league, but defence continues to be a sore point. Last season the Reds shipped 50 goals, compared to the 36 conceded by champions Leicester and runners-up Arsenal, and while Klopp was only in charge for three quarters of last year’s games, Liverpool’s tendency to too easily gift opposing teams goals has drifted into this season.
“I think it will be a little bit about how we protect our own attacks because both teams are pretty good on the counter attack", Klopp explained in Friday’s pre-match press conference. “Both teams are good in possession so we have to defend at our highest level. The detail will make the difference. It is nice to think about what you can do in the game and what you want. We beat them last year but unfortunately we lost the EFL final to them. They have got better since last year but we are getting better too. It will be a different game to last year. We cannot play like last year, and nor will they”.
Agüero rested and ready
Visiting manager Pep Guardiola has leading scorer Sergio Agüero available again after serving a four-match suspension. The Argentinean has scored 16 goals in all competitions – 10 of which in the league, including three from the penalty spot. It is precisely Agüero who Liverpool’s back four will need to keep tightly shackled. “Pep gave him three and a half weeks off - the weather in Argentina is quite good at the moment I think. He’s back and that makes life less easy for us; obviously, he’s a good striker. I always thought that he is quite a talented boy, I never made a secret of it. But we knew it before and even when he is not playing they are an outstanding team”.
2nd versus 3rd
Liverpool managed to keep Agüero at bay in their last league meeting – the 3-0 win at Anfield back in March. Indeed Klopp’s troops won this fixture home and away last season and the German will be heartened that, since the 2-2 draw against West Ham, his side have only conceded once. As for City, who are just one point behind their hosts in third place, their recent form mirrors Liverpool's – they go into the game on the back of three victories with an identical defensive record.