Jamie Carragher believes Jurgen Klopp and Liverpool face a ‘tactical puzzle’ when they travel to Manchester City in the Premier League on Saturday.
Liverpool head into the game just one point behind City in the table, but in their last domestic away match, the Reds were fortunate to leave Luton with a point, and cannot afford the same fallibility in Manchester.
On 1 April 2023, City ran out 4-1 winners as Julian Alvarez and Jack Grealish devastated Liverpool in an ultimate display of their class and superiority, but at that point they were also 22 points better off in the table and hunting down Arsenal and yet another league title.
Trent Alexander-Arnold remains central to Liverpool’s tactics, and his role as a midfielder is increasing, although the tactical genius behind the move might be better credited to Pep Guardiola than Klopp.
Carragher said in his column in The Telegraph: “Liverpool’s ‘Trent System’ was effectively conceived in Manchester. The team’s recovery since then speaks for itself and explains why they return to the Etihad with such high hopes.”
Jamie Carragher has had his say on Manchester City vs Liverpool— (Getty Images)
However, the former Liverpool defender also issued a note of caution concerning Alexander-Arnold’s roaming role.
“His talent has never been an issue; ensuring the weapon of his right foot is spoken about before and after the biggest games more than the flaw of his one-to-one defending is.”
Carragher drew attention to Luton’s determination to attack the space on the left, and they almost walked away with all three points, and believes Guardiola may be targeting the same weakness.
“Guardiola will be zoning in on this,” he said.
“It is no coincidence that Grealish enjoyed one of his best games in a Manchester City shirt against Liverpool in April, relishing the space and time he was afforded on the left as he got the better of Alexander-Arnold in one-to-one duels.
“(Jeremy) Doku, meanwhile, is one of the Premier League’s in-form players and will love being isolated against the full-back.”
He added: “City provides the acid test for a side on an upward trajectory. We will soon have the truest measure of the progress of Liverpool and their ‘Trent System’.”
