No matter how strong or weak, Klopp's teams are always a nightmare for Pep
Liverpool fans can expect a good performance at the Etihad even though all the form figures are against them. In the history of coaching, Pep Guardiola has only lost to Jurgen Klopp in terms of head-to-head record.
Pep's teams have had 12 defeats against Klopp's teams, and have only had 9 wins. This season, Man City and Liverpool have faced each other a total of 3 times in all competitions.
The "Red Devils" of Merseyside are taking the advantage with 2 wins in the FA Community Shield and the Premier League with the scores of 3-1 and 1-0 respectively. Meanwhile, The Citizens eliminated The Kop in the League Cup with a score of 3-2.
It is easy to see that in the confrontations with Klopp, Pep was somewhat overwhelmed. Liverpool may be in a bad situation but still beat Man United 7-0 and also beat Man City at the start of the season. If this match ends in favor of The Kop, it should not be taken as a surprise.
Is Liverpool's playing style really too old?
One of the reasons for Liverpool's poor performance this season is the serious injury situation of key players. However, in the most recent confrontations with Real Madrid or Bournemouth, Liverpool were very sluggish and weak.
The decline in physical strength of many key stars who are the soul of gegen-pressing in recent years is the first reason. This is the time when the pillars cannot be revived anymore. If they meet opponents who play with physical strength and speed, Liverpool can easily lose or get stuck.
Jurgen Klopp's tactics over the years have not been too special but have stood out in terms of systemalism. Once they have a full squad, Liverpool will be extremely strong and vice versa. The continuous lack of linkages combined with declining performance has made Liverpool's system almost never perfect this season. The absence of Thiago Alcantara is considered very serious when in Liverpool's recent matches, they lacked creativity and only relied mainly on the two wings.
Is the Haaland paradox still true for Man City?
In fact, in the early stages of the season, Haaland scoring a lot of goals was a paradox when Man City won fewer points in the same number of similar matches last season without the Norwegian striker.
However, before the match against Liverpool, Haaland had scored 8 goals in just 2 matches, including 5 goals against Leipzig (Champions League) and 3 goals against Burnley (FA Cup).
The more doubted he was, the more he scored. That is how Haaland reacts to the comments about himself. This season, Haaland has scored many goals in big matches, so he cannot be considered just a star of small matches.
Previously, when his students were criticized for being negative, Pep always posted to refute those bad public opinions. The British media has not been so negative about Haaland but has also been skeptical about the striker's necessity for Man City.
Pep did not object to the media anymore and focused those public opinions on Haaland to cheer on the general. After that, he received the sweet fruits beyond his expectations.
The match between Man City and Liverpool will take place at 6:30 p.m. on April 1 (Vietnam time), live on K+.
