FROM THE ETIHAD STADIUM—Manchester City were as fresh as Liverpool were leggy in their Sunday afternoon duel. City had a cutting edge in Erling Haaland where Liverpool weakly brandished only blunt weapons. They had a back-up No. 6 to the absent Rodri in the excellent Nico González where Liverpool really have only Wataru Endo as cover. They fielded a wide player in Jeremy Doku as electric as Mohamed Salah looked without any spark, but the crucial difference was that Pep Guardiola had a better plan than the man in the opposite dug-out.
Arne Slot was as comprehensively out-thought by Guardiola as Liverpool’s players were outfought by City’s. Tactically, Guardiola’s side were smarter than Slot’s pedestrian, slow-reacting visitors, controlling the centre and varying the speeds and angles of their attacks. Liverpool walked blindly into an ambush.
Liverpool, and Slot, had no answer, which all led to one question: what has happened to the champions? The midweek Champions League victory over Real Madrid was meant to be a reboot for their stop-start season. But Slot’s right-back, Conor Bradley, simply could not handle the flying, dribbling Doku as he had done so effortlessly in taming Vinicius Junior. Liverpool’s lauded central three of Ryan Gravenberch, Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai were over-run and overwhelmed.
What a contrast to the corresponding fixture last February when Liverpool toyed with the champions, City. Salah was as irresistible as he was almost invisible this time out, and the Africa Cup of Nations, starting on December 21, offers a convenient opportunity to assess other players on the right to the Egyptian.
Liverpool’s defence was as organised and resolute last February as it was scrambled and lacking in concentration and assertiveness now. Even such experienced defenders as Virgil van Dijk and Andy Robertson, both international captains, got mixed up positionally at one damaging point. What will also alarm Liverpool’s loyal following is that their players lacked the hunger of City’s, that desire to reach the second ball. Van Dijk needs to call another team meeting. Liverpool, and Slot, must not let their domestic season slide.
What a Difference Nine Months Make
By the end of their last collision here, Liverpool fans were serenading the growing rows of empty blue seats with “we’re going to win the league”. They left the Etihad 11 points clear, soaked by the rain, but brimming with joy, and all but taking the Premier League trophy home with them. Fast forward nine months, 23 Premier League games on, and the roles are totally reversed. Liverpool are going backwards compared to the rapidly accelerating City. The masters were schooled. Liverpool left east Manchester and might have left their trophy there. Arsenal will have other thoughts, and are four points clear of second-placed City, but will be very aware that Guardiola’s men mean business.
Writing Liverpool off is a dangerous business. When Alexander Isak is fully fit, Liverpool will have a serial finisher upfront. When Florian Wirtz adapts to the physicality of the English game, Liverpool will have a playmaker blessed with balance, vision and technique. Wirtz currently resembles a boy at a new school entering a rough playground for the first time. He will find his way, and stay the course amongst the flying boots, but it will not be a quick process. Wirtz needs time in the gym. He needs patience. He needs a split-second longer on the ball, which he simply will not be granted in England.
Wirtz started on the left, but ran into the combative (legitimately) Matheus Nunes. When Wirtz did put in a burst of pace, and swept the ball between Bernardo Silva and González, he was flattened. Welcome to the Premier League. Wirtz looked lightweight yet resembled a heavyweight against Real. Maybe Liverpool left something on the field at Anfield on Tuesday. It was an emotionally draining occasion because of all the heated narrative surrounding the returning Trent Alexander-Arnold. Liverpool have so much history with Real, too.
Maybe Slot erred by not tweaking the team here, starting the more battle-hardened Cody Gakpo on the left instead of Wirtz. Maybe Liverpool also lacked strength in depth with Jarell Quansah sold to Bayer Leverkusen when Ibrahima Konaté has struggled this season.
Liverpool will point to a controversial incident when 1–0 behind. Van Dijk’s headed effort was ruled out for an alleged offside by Robertson when he clearly wasn’t “directly” (as the law dictates) in Gianluigi Donnarumma’s eye-line. Otherwise Liverpool lacked any punch in attack.
It was also impossible to look at Liverpool’s bench and have much sympathy for Slot. He had more than £200m worth of talent in reserve as well as gifted youngsters like Rio Ngumoha. Liverpool fans may mention the absence of Alisson, injured, yet Giorgi Mamardashvili is 25, has played 33 times for Georgia, and is good enough to have saved an early penalty from Haaland. Mamardashvili has been well-chosen as Alisson’s long-term successor. He also denied Spain’s Ferran Torres (for Georgia) and Real’s Vinicius (for Valencia) also from the spot in 2025. Now Haaland. Not for long.
Guardiola Brings Out His Best for 1,000th Game in Management
Yet City ripped Liverpool apart, and could have won by two or three more because they were so well set up by Guardiola. This should alarm Liverpool supporters. Last February, Guardiola looked exhausted, running out of ideas and energy. They finished third in the league, lost the FA Cup final, and went out of the Champions League in the knockout-phase play-offs and the League Cup in the fourth round.
Now look at him, schooling the reigning League Managers’ Association Manager of the Year. This was Guardiola’s 1,000th game as a manager—a grand occasion in every sense—and he behaved as if it was his first. He was constantly on the edge of his technical area, encouraging, coaching, showing joy and frustration, occasionally conversing with the fourth official. Guardiola was all in.
He was being polite and playing mind games when saying it was “almost impossible” to catch Arsenal. He’d have believed even before this game. Pep had a plan.
He so often does. During his early years at Barcelona, Guardiola phoned Lionel Messi late at night on the eve of El Clásico at the Bernabéu in 2009 as he recalled in his 2014 book with his friend Martí Perarnau. “Leo, it’s Pep. I’ve just seen something important, really important. Why don’t you come over, now, please.” Messi jumped in a cab. Guardiola was waiting and quickly explained that Messi would start wide as usual the following day, Samuel Eto’o would be at centre-forward and they would switch after 10 minutes. But with Messi deeper in the middle. This immediately confused Real’s centre-halves who suddenly had nobody to mark. Messi glided in from a false 9 position and wreaked havoc.
Midfield Overload Mesmerises Lethargic Liverpool
Classic Guardiola: always working like a chess grandmaster, a few moves ahead. He did it again here. Aware that Liverpool’s strong showing against Real was built on their midfield platform of Graveberch, Mac Allister and Szoboszlai, Guardiola overloaded the area. City strangled the centre: Silva was stationed in there with González, Rayan Cherki and Phil Foden played centrally, playing off Haaland. The prolific Norwegian stayed high, stretching the centre, making Gravenberch and Mac Allister look over their shoulder. Slot’s men were dazzled by this kaleidoscope of movement.
Guardiola is so associated with an obsession with possession but City were a royal variety show. Foden launched a counter through the middle eventually seen off by Van Dijk. They then went wide after 29 minutes. Matheus Nunes, the full back, advanced down the right, shaped to cross but checked back, tricking Wirtz and Robertson. Nunes quickly delivered for Haaland to make light of Konaté’s presence with a powerful header—his 99th Premier League goal in 108 games.
Guardiola inevitably puts his trust in stellar signings like Haaland and González, who made it 2–0 with a low, deflected shot just before the break, but he also backed academy graduates like Nico O’Reilly, who was too quick and attentive for Salah. The 20-year-old, newly called up to the England squad, set up City’s third with a cutback to Doku. Konaté was exposed again, Doku dropping a shoulder, wrongfooting the Frenchman, and finishing elegantly.
Doku’s improvement with his shooting and final ball highlighted how most players grow under Guardiola’s coaching and man-management. Doku’s performance was a perfect tribute to Guardiola. As City fans sang his name, and revelled in this destruction of Liverpool and revival of their title hopes, Manchester paid the most Manchester of tributes to Guardiola: it rained and rained. Liverpool were washed away. Slot has to get Isak fit, Salah reinvigorated, Wirtz toughened up and Konaté focused otherwise any hopes of retaining their title will rapidly submerge.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Limp Liverpool Schooled by Pep Guardiola Masterclass—They Must Wake Up, Fast.
