Liverpool’s 4-1 win over Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium in November was arguably the high point of Jurgen Klopp’s reign so far. Here we look at how they did it and what the Reds will need to do to pull off a repeat in Sunday’s Capital One Cup final at Wembley…
By Adam Bate
Manuel Pellegrini called it a “fake game” but Jamie Carragher saw it very differently, arguing that Liverpool’s early blitz was “as good as anything I can remember, not from Klopp or any Liverpool team, but in the Premier League”. What’s clear is that the scoreline was emphatic – a 4-1 defeat for Manchester City, their biggest home defeat at the Etihad Stadium.
Eliaquim Mangala’s own goal set the tone and further efforts by Philippe Coutinho and Roberto Firmino put the Reds three up in little over half an hour. While Sergio Aguero pulled one back before the break, there was to be no great comeback and Martin Skrtel capped the victory with a fourth for Liverpool. But how did they do it and can it be repeated?
Liverpool and Man City meet in the Capital One Cup final on Sunday
Coutinho and Firmino
The Brazilian duo of Coutinho and Firmino were vital, with the latter playing as a nominal centre-forward. Firmino’s ability to drop off and interact with Coutinho and Adam Lallana left City’s defence flummoxed. It also served a key defensive purpose. “The front three were scintillating and they played very narrow,” explained Carragher.
“The two reasons for that, I think, were to stop Man City – when they were in possession – from playing balls into midfield and force them wide, but also when they’re that narrow, they can make penetrating runs from there because City centre-backs like to step out to the ball, be aggressive and when they’re on the edge of the box, they always hold that line.”
Liverpool have won five of the six games that Coutinho, Firmino and Lallana have started together. That includes emphatic wins at Chelsea and Manchester City as well as the 1-0 victory over Leicester. Lallana has a calf injury and is unlikely to start but Daniel Sturridge is mobile, too. The only Premier League game that trio have started? The 6-0 win over Aston Villa.
Roberto Firmino, playing as a striker, was among the scorers in the 4-1 win
Running game
Liverpool’s willingness to run hard has been much discussed since Klopp’s arrival, but it’s rarely been as conspicuous as it was against City that afternoon in November. The visitors covered 118.15 kilometres of the Etihad pitch, compared to the 110.97km of their hosts. Their total of 622 sprints was 78 more than City, too.
Man City v Liverpool – Nov 2015
| Man City | Liverpool | |
|---|---|---|
| Distance (Km) | 110.97 | 118.15 |
| Sprints | 544 | 622 |
Lallana’s 87 sprints were more than anyone else, although Coutinho managed 62 before being withdrawn midway through the second half. Milner covered the most ground, running 12.83km. “It was like the Red Arrows,” said Carragher. “They were just running through people all the time. They could’ve scored another two or three just from this sort of tactic.”
Of course, there’s more to the game than running but it’s impossible to ignore the contrast in energy levels. It was significant to the victory. If City suffer from this all-too-familiar lethargy following their trip to Kiev in midweek – and they rank among the bottom three in the Premier League for distance covered – Liverpool could expose them again.
Adam Lallana made more sprints than any other player in the November game
Pressing high
Liverpool’s superior work rate manifested itself in their pressing high up the pitch. Klopp’s tactic was to close down City and deny them easy possession in their own half. “The next point is, if you win a ball [high up the pitch], then it’s not the longest way in the right direction and that’s very important of course,” said Klopp afterwards.
The evidence is there in the numbers. Liverpool made 32 interceptions, 10 more than they’ve made in any other Premier League match this season and 18 more than their opponents on the day. Klopp’s men also came up with 32 tackles for a combined total of 64. The most by any team in a Premier League game this season is only 65.
Lucas’s advanced position highlighted the scale of Liverpool’s pressing
Forcing errors
The consequence of Liverpool’s pressing is that opportunities arise. As Coutinho told Sky Sports this week: “When the ball goes high up the pitch, we’re close to the goal and we make lots of chances.” To put it another way, City make mistakes – such as the second goal that saw Firmino capitalise on hesitation by Mangala and Martin Demichelis.
Man City at home – 2015/16
| Failed passes | Pass accuracy | |
|---|---|---|
| v Liverpool | 124 | 76.6% |
| Average | 80 | 85.5% |
Pellegrini’s men misplaced 124 passes – the most by far in a game at the Etihad Stadium this season – with a passing accuracy of only 76.6 per cent, also a campaign low. According to Opta, Liverpool induced no fewer than three errors leading to shots. City have only made four such mistakes in their other 13 home Premier League games this season combined.
“We made so many mistakes with the ball and without the ball,” Pellegrini told Sky Sports. “When you have so many mistakes with the ball, without the ball, and the way you work and the way you mark and the way you attack, it is very difficult to analyse those things.” Even so, it’s surely something worth thinking about ahead of their Wembley rematch.
Planning ahead
Indeed, while Pellegrini chose to play down the significance of analysing the performance, Klopp appeared to feel the planning had paid off. “What we try to do is to analyse the opponent and see what their biggest strength is and things we can do that they don’t feel confident [defending against], then we try to do it,” said Klopp afterwards.
“It’s a very important thing in football and the better your opponent is the more important it gets that you do things like this. Manchester City were top of the table, so at this moment were the best team in England. We had to try to find some ways to cause them problems and that’s what we did.”
So can they do it again? Liverpool’s approach is likely to be similar, so much will depend on Manchester City’s response. Pellegrini might have argued in November that “you’d have to do it on purpose to do it so bad” but if the City boss doesn’t come up with a plan to counter Klopp’s tactics then the Capital One Cup final could be another accident waiting to happen.
Source:Skysports
