Resurgent supercharged Liverpool invade Etihad
On Sunday, Liverpool will face Manchester City at the Etihad.
This game promised to be one of the biggest ties on the autumn schedule.
Indeed everyone circled November 8th on their calendars as a must see match, which has only grown in importance as Liverpool stand top of the Premier League and five points above their rivals at City.
Before this campaign, many assumed that this would be the biggest challenge to Liverpool’s ascendency. Both teams have had their issues in the young season; but adversity has hounded the Reds in particular from the outset. Pep and City’s issues has been largely with form both on offense and defense at times.
Liverpool were struck by COVID before they ever left their Austrian preseason training camp and it has reared its ugly head again in September and October when Thiago tested positive, along with Kostas Tsimikas. Trent Alexander-Arnold contracted the virus and there were false positive tests from Xherdan Shaqiri and Naby Keita, which required them to self-isolate for a period of time.
Injuries to key players has also played a hand thus far. Virgil Van Dijk out for the season with a level three ACL tear. Fabinho out for 4-6 weeks with a hamstring tear. Allison out for a month due to a collarbone fracture.
Alex Oxlade Chamberlain continues to mend from a knee injury suffered in the summer. Thiago was injured in the Everton draw and has yet to return to full training or match play.
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Since losing Virgil, and Thiago they have won five in a row in all competitions and have kept four clean sheets; conceding only two goals.
The extraordinary fact that Liverpool have not dropped points in the league or in their Champions League ties, where they have won three of three against their European opponents, speaks to the heart and competitive soul of Klopp and these amazing Reds.
This is inexplicably amazing since Fabinho also has been sidelined; as he was deputized to fill the hole left by the injured Van Dijk, leaving the Reds glaringly thin in defense particularly at the all important center back position. They have cobbled together an amazing defensive display from the likes of a 19 year old Rhys Williams and the slightly older Nat Phillips; who have made memorable debuts in a Reds shirt.
In short, no one told these Reds that they were not good enough, nor talent laden enough at depth in key positions to keep winning without missing a beat after the absence of three or four world class starters if you include Thiago.
If anyone told them…they were clearly not listening. The Reds are fresh off of a thorough shellacking of a very good and offensively potent Atalanta side in their Champions League tie in Italy by a whopping 5-0 scoreline.
Next. No space for Jota, Thiago out, Matip back in - Liverpool lineup vs Man City. dark
This in and of itself defies and stands in the face of anyone’s predictions of how well the Reds could perform under all the myriad of pressures they have been visited by these past eight weeks. It was simply unbelievable football from Klopp and his wounded warriors.
Man City need to watch out.