Snuffed Out
Oh boy. Where to start?
Let’s start here.
The problem with having to play an in-form Man City when you’re trying to engineer a turn-around in form is that Pep Guardiola is, perhaps, the most impossible of managers to face in such circumstances. He knows where your problems are, he will implement the correct tactical approach to take advantage of them, and since you’re dealing with shaky confidence, it will feel devastating.
That’s exactly what we saw on the pitch today. Gravenberch was completely nullified, and because the communications and backup weren’t quite there, it meant City had the run of midfield. Konate, correctly (and, let’s be fair, obviously) identified as the shakiest part of the back four, was targeted. Pep even did the thing that other managers haven’t, wherein he seemed to have instructed his team to leave Mo well enough alone, recognizing that Mo has been a net negative for Liverpool for a while now. Instead they shut down the other side. The result? Liverpool registered its first shot on goal in the 75th minute, and even then only due to a speculative (and impressive) effort from Liverpool’s most consistent performer (and best player today,) Dominik Szoboszlai. Tons of buildups were stopped cold (and transitions started) when Mo couldn’t do the thing he used to do.
When do you last remember Mo getting caught offside repeatedly? Or losing every single one of his challenges?
These, I will note, are just the easy-to-observe highlights from one’s couch, and the end result of a commanding, man-of-the-match performance from Doku was almost preordained. He was the immediate beneficiary of this setup, and he took maximum advantage. And thus the fragile fresh foundation for success was snuffed out.
Arne Slot carries a fair share of the blame, because he played right into Guardiola’s hands. I understand the urgency in trying to get Wirtz “into the league,” so to speak, but he is not very physical (or at least not yet to premier league standards,) and this particular game practically screamed for Curtis Jones to start. Anticipating what has to be obvious by now (I refer you to my last couple of columns,) Mo should have been on the bench, with a highly energetic Chiesa starting instead. In fact, the entire lineup for this game should have been based on physicality and energy. At least it would have potentially disrupted the City game plan. Alas, it wasn’t, and if you felt like we were being toyed with, you are not in the wrong.
Yes, there are signs of a turn-around – the back-to-back clean sheet victories against Villa and in-form Real Madrid are nothing to sneeze at. The performance today will set us back some, and I’m glad the international break is coming, because hopefully the impact will wear off by the time the players are back. The only bit of good news is that Liverpool has a pretty good schedule right until Christmas, and if a real turn-around is to be engineered, it has to happen during this stretch.
Oh, and as a side note, Virgil’s goal should have stood. I don’t think it would have mattered, because City was so much better today, but that doesn’t justify the decision.