Liverpool Vs. Manchester City: Arne Slot Ready To End Pep Guardiola's Domination In The Premier League

Alexis Mac Allister offers creativity from the midfield. (photo: x @lfc)

JAKARTA The fierce Premier League duel will be presented at Sadion Anfield when Liverpool host defending champions Manchester City, Sunday 1 December. This match is a great opportunity for the Reds to keep City away from title hunting, as well as prove the ability of their new coach, Arne Slot.

When Slot replaced Jurgen Klopp, doubts had appeared. However, this Dutch coach quickly silenced criticism. In 19 matches, he led Liverpool to 17 wins, including a historic 2-0 win over Real Madrid in the Champions League 'the Reds' first win over Los Blancos since 2009.

On the other hand, City is facing a performance crisis. Pep Guardiola's team wonless in their last six matches in all competitions. If they lose at Anfield, a distance of 11 points with Liverpool could be the end for their ambition to win their fifth Premier League title in a row.

City entered this match with a bad record: five defeats and one draw in the last six matches. A 4-0 defeat to Tottenham and a 3-0 lead against Feyennoord in the Champions League shows the fragileness of their defenses.

Rodri's absence from an ACL injury exacerbated the situation. Statistics show that City has faced more major chances this season than previous seasons, with predictions that the number of major opportunities they face has soared to 117' highest since Guardiola took the lead in 2016.

In addition, some key players such as Kevin De Bruyne, Ilkay Gundogan, and Kyle Walker are starting to show a decline in physical performance, which makes them vulnerable to high-intensity teams.

Liverpool under Slot not only take advantage of the opponent's weaknesses, but also build fast and aggressive game identities. Mohamed Salah, Luis Diaz, and Darwin Nunez became the main weapons in the deadly counter-attack, while Trent Alexander-Arnold and Alexis Mac Allister offered creativity from midfield.

David Lynch, a Liverpool expert, stated that the physical power and intensity of Liverpool's game could make City difficult. "Liverpool has a lot of energy in midfield to dominate City, plus speed up front that could punish them in transition," he said.

Anfield, with its distinctive atmosphere, has always been a scourge for the visitors. Guardiola himself once admitted that "This is Anfield" was not just a slogan, but a real factor that affected the course of the match.

City have a poor record at Anfield, with just one win in their last 21 Premier League visits. The win came in 2021 when the stadium was empty due to the pandemic. Liverpool's full support in this match is expected to be an additional boost for the Reds to win an important victory.

If Liverpool win, they not only widen the gap in the standings, but also send strong messages to their rivals. On the other hand, for City, this match is a tough test for Guardiola to find tactical solutions amid his team's limitations.

In this match Liverpool will be strengthened by Trent Alexander-Arnold who recovered from injury. However, Ibrahima Konate had to be sidelined due to a leg injury he got against Real Madrid. Joe Gomez is likely to replace his position in the back line with Virgil van Dijk. In midfield, Dominik Szoboszlai is expected to enter Curtis Jones.

On the front lines, Mohamed Salah remained the focus after scoring two goals in a win over Southampton last week. Darwin Nunez is also ready to appear from the start after showing a consistent performance.

Manchester City got good news with Ruben Dias' return from injury. Jeremy Doku also has the opportunity to appear after recovering from thigh problems. However, Guardiola is still missing some key players such as Rodri, John Stones, and Mateo Kovacic. Kevin De Bruyne, who played as a substitute in the previous match, is likely to appear from the first minute at Anfield.

Liverpool (4-2-3-1): Kelekerat; Alexander-Arnold, Gomez, Van Dijk, Robertson; Gravenberch, Mac Allister; Salah, Szoboszlai, Diaz; Nunez

Manchester City (4-3-3):Ederson; Walker, Akanji, Dias, Ake; Nunes, Gundogan, De Bruyne; Silva, Haaland, Savinho