Who would have guessed in the middle of winter that the Manchester City-Liverpool game, Sunday 10 April (5:30 pm), for the 32and day of the Premier League, the English football championship, would determine the title? In February, the Citizens were 14 points clear of the Reds (albeit two games down) and appeared to be heading for an eighth coronation, their second in a row. While spring is in full swing, the cards are reshuffled. City are only one point ahead of Liverpool.
The Reds have not lost in the Premier League since December 28 and a trip to Leicester (1-0)
If this clash at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester promises to be decisive, according to the coaches of both teams it will not be decisive yet. “If we win we are two points ahead, if we lose we are four points ahead. When we draw, we are always one point behindLiverpool coach Jurgen Klopp told a press conference on Friday. And if people think it’s over, then I can’t help it, but I know no one has to. [Manchester] The city doesn’t see it that way. † That’s exactly what his Citizens counterpart Pep Guardiola thinks: “These three points [en cas de victoire] will be very important, but there will still be seven games and 21 points to share. †
The dynamic is now leaning on Liverpool’s side. The Reds have not lost in the Premier League since December 28 and a trip to Leicester (1-0). On January 2, they were hooked on Chelsea (2-2), the last points in the competition. Since then, the Mersey club has racked up a string of ten consecutive Premier League wins.
At the same time, Manchester City lost a few points along the way by losing at home to Tottenham (3-2, February 19) and then allowing two draws against modest opponents (1-1 at Southampton, January 22 and 0-0 against Crystal Palace on March 14). So they let the red steamroller come back on their heels.
Absence of Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mané
Still, little has been saved for the Reds since January, making this comeback all the more fantastic. Involved in the African Cup of Nations (CAN), its attacking stars, Egyptian Mohamed Salah and Senegalese Sadio Mané, missed two and three league games respectively in February. They were then gradually reinstated in the starting eleven upon their return from AFCON. Then, in late March and early April, Jürgen Klopp had to save his duo again before and after the qualifying play-offs for the 2022 World Cup.
In addition, the CAN and the dams could have done great damage to their formidable understanding and more generally to Liverpool. In reality, Sadio Mané’s Senegal won the CAN against Mohamed Salah’s Egypt before to eliminate the pharaohs to qualify for the World Cup†
This rivalry turned out not to be so much when they returned in the same jersey. Especially since the Reds are statistically far more dependent on Mohamed Salah than on Sadio Mane. Top scorer in the Premier League, the former has scored 20 goals and provided 10 assists in the league, while the latter has 12 achievements and just two assists.
Luis Diaz Surprise
Liverpool didn’t see their game and their results suffer from the duo’s absence. Jürgen Klopp’s side is largely indebted to Diogo Jota, who has taken on another dimension this season. The Portuguese is a symbol of the depth of the Reds’ workforce, with 14 goals in 27 appearances. Not bad for an occasional striker.
She also owes that to Luis Diaz. The young Colombian (25) was recruited to FC Porto in January for a fee of between 45 and 60 million euros, depending on the bonuses, and immediately adapted to his new environment. However, it is not easy to measure up to Anfield and a club that has monopolized the titles in recent years (champion of England in 2020 and winner of the Champions League in 2019).
Luis Diaz has scored twice in six Premier League games. He proves that his recruitment is not just a future project to compensate for the suspected departure of Sadio Mané or Mohamed Salah. Both will reach the end of their contracts in June 2023 and Liverpool may be tempted to sign one of the two this summer to collect a transfer fee.
“I’ve often said what I wanted, but I really can’t go into detail right now because it’s a sensitive subject. explained Mohamed Salah in an interview with the Sky Sports channel on Friday. I can’t get in front of the cameras and talk about this contract, I’m focused on the team, that’s the most important thing for me, being focused on winning trophies. †
To take a twentieth title of champions of England and put Manchester United at the top of the list in the history of the championship, Liverpool have every interest in winning against Manchester City. In the event of a setback, there will be a revenge against the same rival on Saturday 16 April in the FA Cup semi-final.
