Liverpool vs Manchester City: Why Reds Have No Chance Against the Champions

Liverpool will take on Manchester City in the marquee matchup of the weekend in the English Premier League and the fixture will have massive implications for both sides. The players for both teams will be supremely motivated, and this does not bode well for the Reds.

The game will be at Anfield and the home side is coming off a 3-0 loss to West Bromwich Albion in new manager Brendan Rodgers’ first Premiership match with the club. After facing City, the team will have to play Arsenal and Manchester United in the next three matches.

Fortunately, all three of these difficult contests will be played in Liverpool, and that offers a glimmer of hope that the Reds can put on an impressive performance in at least one of these outings. However, they will not be able to pull out a positive result against City.

Liverpool’s season got off to a worrisome start, and there were several problems that will be exploited by City.

Firstly, the team struggled to support the strikers with Steven Gerrard often struggling to fit in with Rodgers’ quick-passing style. Luis Suarez was left to create chances with little help, and he was not sharp with his chances in front of goal. 

Suarez will not have as much success on the ball against a talented City defense that gave up just 29 goals last season. He will need support from the other attackers, and he cannot be so frivolous with his opportunities.

If Gerrard cannot find a place in Rodgers’ system, the team now has Nuri Sahin on loan from Real Madrid for the season. Sahin is an ideal player to execute Rodgers’ tactics and move the ball around the pitch, but he will not be available against the defending Premiership champions.

The Liverpool attack will struggle against City’s defense, but the Reds’ back line is the source of even more concerns. The team was sloppy with the ball and out of position far too often against West Brom, and now it will go against an incredibly talented attack that produced 93 goals a season ago.

To add to the team’s woes, Daniel Agger was forced to bring Baggies’ striker Shane Long down from behind to prevent a goal. This earned him a red card and Liverpool’s best defender will not be on the pitch against City.

Sergio Aguero and David Silva proved to be a lethal combination last season, and without Agger to try and thwart their attacks, they will cause Liverpool problems throughout the match. 

Samir Nasri, Carlos Tevez, Mario Balotelli and Edin Dzeko all could play a role as well, and there is simply too much talent for a shorthanded Liverpool defense to deal with. City may have struggled at times during its opening match, but its attack was still potent.

With Sahin and Agger back in the lineup, the Reds have a chance to turn their season around going forward. Against City however, they are terribly outmatched and will not be able to challenge the reigning champions.