Manchester City vs Liverpool Match Report
Boxing Day - Etihad Stadium - Premier League
This was the ‘One’ Boxing Day cracker that football supporters and pundits were eagerly awaiting as the Premier League’s two most prolific attacks battled each other. A Suarez-inspired Liverpool have been scoring for fun in recent weeks with an average of 4.24 goals per game since their shocking defeat to Hull City. Manchester City, on the other hand, came into the game with a perfect home record, having dismantled the likes of Manchester United, Tottenham and most recently Arsenal at The Etihad.
Tactical Setup:
Manchester City:
Manuel Pellegrini’s “no holds barred” tactics have been a joy to behold this season while playing in their own backyard. The Chilean prefers a fluid 4-4-2 formation but with Kun Aguero missing through injury, the Man City boss was forced to switch to a 4-4-1-1 system.
Pelligrini’s modified tactics retained the attacking intent of fullbacks Pablo Zabaleta and Aleksander Kolarov while Silva was asked to play centrally behind Alvaro Negredo. Samir Nasri, positioned on the left wing, was tasked with cutting inside to take on a role between the lines with his team on the front foot while Yaya Toure also pushed forward when needed.
Manchester City skipper Vincent Kompany was handed the duties of closely marking Luis Suarez.
Liverpool:
In the opposite dugout, Brendan Rodgers deployed an adaptable 4-3-3 system which relies on high pressing, quick movement and intricate passing. The Liverpool boss complained about the injuries that stricken his team over the past few weeks with the likes of Steven Gerrard and Daniel Sturridge unavailable – Jon Flanagan, who suffered a hamstring injury against Cardiff was replaced by Aly Cissokho.
Brendan Rodgers must take great credit for the tactical versatility shown by his team throughout their Premier League campaign with his side successfully interchanging between 4-2-3-1, 3-5-2 and 4-3-3 as the match required. Furthermore, this Liverpool team is no longer simply reliant on controlling the game with the Reds now equally comfortable counterattacking when needed.
Liverpool look to switch modes during different phases of the game while maintaining the core values of pass and move, high pressing line, creative movement and penetration.
First Half:
The home side began the contest on the offensive as the Citizens controlled possession and pushed up as they focused on attacking Liverpool’s left side. The combination between Zabaleta and Navas sent trembles into Reds’ defense after managing to break into the Liverpool penalty area within the first two minutes.
Minutes later, Manchester City flexed their muscles further after a whipped cross from Kolarov down the left flank bypassed Negredo and Skrtel before reaching Navas whose header hit the post.
After the early scares, Brendan’s men settled into the contest and looked to implement their high pressing game. This was also accompanied with quick fouls whenever Liverpool lost possession in an attempt to diffuse Man City’s quick counterattacks.
One Liverpool player failing to get to grips with the match was right back Glen Johnson, who quickly became the target of Manchester City’s attacking play. And on 18 minutes, the England international failed to close down Kolraov whose cross reached Negredo only for the Spaniard to shoot wide from the six yard box.
The Reds responded immediately and from a quick attack, Suarez released Sterling through an incisive through-ball and Liverpool’s number 31 relied on his pace to break on-on-one against Joe Hart. The winger then dribbled past England’s number one with the goal at his mercy. The attack ended abruptly as the assistant referee mistakenly raised the offside flag.
The refereeing error only seemed to raise the determination levels within the Liverpool camp as the Reds took control of the match with their defense pushing higher up the pitch and their passing game finally clicking in the final third and within minutes Brendan’s men were rewarded.
Henderson, who was finding more time and space to set the tempo from center midfield, passed the ball to Suarez whose one-touch flick released Sterling. The winger once again dribbled past Hart and the rushing Coutinho calmly slotted the ball home with his left foot from a tight angle.
Manchester City looked to respond immediately as Kolarov once again got the better of Johnson as the Serb’s cross reached the advanced Toure whose shot was blocked by Skrtel for a corner.
As the half progressed, it became clear that Pelligrini targeted Liverpool’s right side as the key weak point as Glen Johnson struggled for form and lacked the support from Sterling and Allen.
On the 30 minute mark, a Kolarov inspired attack resulted in a Manchester City corner which the Citizens managed to equalize from. Skrtel once again struggled in man marking from corners or set pieces this season and on this occasion Kompany’s physical prowess assured he rose above Skrtel to nod the ball home despite Allen’s attempt to clear off the line.
Liverpool pushed forward after conceding and managed to earn a corner. From the resulting corner, Yaya Toure intercepted the delivered cross as his clearance reached Navas, the Spanish winger fed Samir Nasri who quickly passed the ball to David Silva. Navas who instigated the attack continued his run forward into Liverpool’s penalty area and was found by Silva – however, Navas could only shoot high and wide.
In this seesaw contest, Liverpool responded with a dangerous chance of their own. From a quick counter attack, Coutinho broke forward from central midfield as his pass reached Sterling who was fouled with the loose ball picked up by Suarez, the Uruguayan then returned the ball to Sterling whose clever lobbed pass split the Man City defense and reached Suarez, the mercurial Liverpool captain the flicked the bal first-time to Coutinho who was through for a point blank shot on goal but Liverpool’s number 10 lacked the killer instinct with his shot and Joe Hart managed to produce a big save.
The slugfest continued as Negredo was clear through on goal minutes later only for Skrtel to intervene and deflect the ball into a corner through a well timed sliding tackle.
The open nature of the contest towards the end of the first half did eventually produce a telling result. With Liverpool looking to build another attack, the Reds lost possession in the Manchester City penalty area and the Sky Blues produced yet another superb counter attack – a series of one-touch passes sees the ball reach Nasri who switched the play to the opposing flank by finding Jesus Navas – the Spaniard then sent a defense-splitting ball to Alvaro Negredo whose strange shot with the outside of the left boot confused Mignolet and the keeper’s attempt to save sent the ball into the back of the net.
The first half had the aura of a title deciding boxing match with both sides going hammer and tongs at each other with the home team edging the contest by half time.
Second Half:
The “All guns blazing” approach showed by both sides in the first half was replaced by a touch of sensibility from Pelligrini’s men in the second half as they looked to defend their slender lead. This in turn, forced Liverpool to rely on a more patient build up to their attacks.
Manchester City sat deeper beyond the 45 minute mark, remained compact and defended critical space which Liverpool exploited during the first half. Pelligrini’s contained approach to the second half also targeted reducing the chances of being hit by Liverpool’s incisive counterattacks.
Looking to get back in the game, Brendan Rodgers strived to dominate midfield while looking for the penetration required to break down Joe Hart and Man City’s stubborn defense. The Reds relied on Jordan Henderson as the orchestrator in the middle of the park while Joe Allen pushed up and hurried Man City’s defenders.
As expected, the Reds began the second half on the front foot with Glen Johnson pushing up the pitch from the right flank while Suarez took his mobility a gear or two in the second half as he tried to drag City’s center defenders into less favorable positions on the touch line.
Liverpool huffed and puffed during the early phases of the second half before a tricky cross from Raheem Sterling landed behind the Manchester City’s center defensive partnership and forced Hart to produce a fine save to prevent a clear cut chance for the rushing Henderson.
With the home side successfully covering space, Liverpool’s game was crying for creative passing and with Gerrard injured, the onus was on Coutinho to produce the goods. Sadly for the Reds and the Brazilian, Liverpool’s number 10 has so far struggled to hit the heights he achieved last season. Coutinho looked out of place on the left flank and was guilty of dallying on the ball before eventually making the wrong decision.
With the young Brazilian drifting out of the contest with each passing minute, Rodgers looked to bring on the direct Moses for Coutinho.
Much like the first 45 minutes, Liverpool enjoyed their best spell midway through the second half as Jordan Henderson successfully pushed forward to assist the isolated Luis Suarez. Through a quick counterattack from a Man City corner, Henderson received the ball on the right flank and drove forward before delivering a teasing low cross which Lescott tackled unconvincingly – the loose ball reached Glen Johnson who was once again betrayed by his first touch and Hart dived to concede to a corner.
The Liverpool pressure continued to pile as Henderson forced Hart to produce another save from a cheeky back flick.
As the Liverpool attack continued to be most effective on the right flank through Sterling and Johnson, Pellegrini looked to rectify the defensive frailties by bringing on James Milner for the tiring Samir Nasri.
Moments later, Liverpool got the opportunity they have been waiting for. Luis Suarez successfully managed to drag Vincent Kompany out of position to the left wing touchline and with nimble movement broke free past the Belgium skipper and into the Manchester City penalty box – the Uruguayan then delivered a delicious cross to the rushing Raheem Sterling. With the goal gaping and Joe Hart out of the equation, the young winger showed his tender age by shooting high above the goal.
One could notice the winds blowing out of Liverpool’s sales as the chance went begging.
The effects of that miss, compounded by the combination of Milner and Kolarov nullified the danger Liverpool’s right flank as the second half drew to a close.
With the contest slipping through his hands, Brendan Rodgers brought on forgotten man Iago Aspas for Lucas Leiva in order to support Suarez in attack. Almost immediately, Pellegrini responded by strengthening his defensive midfield further by introducing Javi Garcia for David Silva.
Pellegrini’s tactical changes in the second half proved enough for the Citizens to maintain their perfect home record as the Reds failed to create any telling chances in the dying minutes of the contest.
Conclusion:
This was a contest where Liverpool’s injuries finally caught up with them. Liverpool needed another striker to take the pressure off Suarez who was left isolated against two big, strong and quick center defenders. Vincent Kompany was a shadow to Suarez throughout the 90 minutes and had Sturridge been available then the City skipper would have had to contend with two lethal attackers instead of just one.
Liverpool could have also used the creative talents of Steven Gerrard in center midfield to help break down the congested city defense in the second half.
Furthermore, the combination of Toure, Silva and Nasri in Man City’s midfield forced the likes of Allen and Henderson to think twice before moving forward and leaving space behind. They kept them burdened defensively. Henderson was thus unable to take on the advanced role he occupied in the matches versus Spurs and Cardiff. These factors resulted in the isolation of Luis Suarez.
Defensively, for all of Skrtel’s commendable efforts for defending from open play, the Slovak international needs to massively improve his marking from set pieces. The Liverpool defender always seems more concerned with his opponent’s shirt than the actual flight of the ball.
Still, the Reds must take heart from the impressive defending demonstrated in the second half – it is true that the Citizens did not look to attack as effectively as the first half but the combination of Skrtel, Sakho and Lucas did well in closing down space and blocking shots from distance thus guarding Mignolet’s goal and limiting Man City to minimal chances in the second half. Another defensive plus for Rodgers is the performance of Aly Cissokho who grew into the game and delivered his best game in a Liverpool shirt.
For Manchester City, Pellegrini showed an excellent reading of the game throughout the 90 minutes. The Chilean coach took full advantage of the lead acquired late in the first half and made the tactical changes to stifle Liverpool’s attacks in the second half while the introduction of Milner and Javi Garcia were inspired decisions tailored for any attempts made by Brendan Rodgers to turn the game around.
This was a thrilling encounter between two sides who truly personify the “Beautiful Game”. Manchester City are strongly becoming the team to beat this season while for Liverpool, this was a game that confirmed their top four credentials to even compete with Europe’s best once again next season.
