Manchester City vs. Liverpool: Complete Player-by-Player Comparison
Manchester City host Liverpool on Saturday teatime in a fascinating game between two of the game’s purists.
Manuel Pellegrini and Jurgen Klopp are managers who advocate an open, attacking style of football that should lead to an entertaining game. Expect goals in this one.
City are top of the Premier league table, ahead of second-placed Arsenal on goal difference, with Liverpool nine points adrift of them in 10th. Klopp will now know the size of the task on his hands, having been left with a squad short on quality by his predecessor, Brendan Rodgers.
Here we take a look at every battle on the pitch and compare each player with his opposite number. Use the comments section below to agree or disagree with the scores (out of 10) handed to each player.
Goalkeepers
1 of 5
Joe Hart vs. Simon Mignolet
Joe Hart’s form over the past 12 months has been superb, and he is now once again being talked about as one of the best 'keepers in the Premier League. His display away at Borussia Monchengladbach in September was his best of the season, but there have been some vital stops littered throughout the campaign.
His one mistake was his clanger against Norwich City—but his save from Martin Olson moments later was vital, and the Blues went on to win the game. He’s been reliable all season.
His opposite number, Simon Mignolet, has struggled since his move to Liverpool from Sunderland in the summer of 2013. He shows flashes of excellence, but those are too often undone by his weaknesses, particularly his inability to deal with balls into the box.
Hart wins this contest comfortably.
Hart: 8
Mignolet: 6
Defenders
2 of 5
Bacary Sagna vs. Nathaniel Clyne
It’s been an excellent season for Bacary Sagna, who came in for some criticism during his debut year at the club last term.
He had a stop-start 2014/15 and played just nine league games. As a result, he struggled to assert himself on the City team.
This season has seen a marked difference. Sagna is now a regular in Pablo Zabaleta’s absence, and his performances have improved dramatically. He’s been exceptional defensively and has started to get forward with more purpose. He’s been an unsung hero of City’s season to date.
Nathaniel Clyne is an excellent player and his acquisition represents a shrewd move on Liverpool’s part. He joined from Southampton in the summer and has already shown he was ready for a move to a big club.
He gets forward well, even if his final ball can let him down, and he is strong defensively. He’s got an excellent engine and provides energy down the Liverpool right.
Clyne perhaps shades it. Just.
Sagna: 7
Clyne: 7.5
Nicolas Otamendi vs. Martin Skrtel
City’s summer signing from Valencia, Nicolas Otamendi, has flourished in recent weeks after a patchy start.
However, his best displays have come alongside Vincent Kompany, and with the Belgian set to miss Saturday’s game with another calf problem, it will be interesting to see how Otamendi performs.
He’s aggressive, strong and good in the air. His Man of the Match displays against Manchester United and Norwich City are now the standard he needs to hit regularly.
A mainstay of the Liverpool team for several years, the uncompromising Martin Skrtel was rewarded with a new Liverpool contract in the summer. However, the tough tackler's limitations, discussed by B/R's Jack Lusby, always seem to come to the fore, and it appears his regular starting berth attests more to Liverpool's lack of depth than his ability.
Otamendi: 8
Skrtel: 6
Eliaquim Mangala vs. Dejan Lovren
Eliaquim Mangala started the season superbly and was played in every one of City’s first five games, each of which saw them keep a clean sheet.
Like Otamendi, though, his best has come alongside Kompany. The Frenchman has many qualities, including pace and strength, but he certainly benefits from partnering a player such as Kompany, whose leadership and organisational skills are vital.
On the other side of the pitch, Dejan Lovren is likely to start given Mamadou Sakho is out injured. This is a weakness of this Liverpool side City will surely look to exploit.
Lovren has been poor since his big-money move from Southampton in 2014 and has struggled to hold down a regular place under Klopp.
Mangala is undoubtedly the better defender.
Mangala: 7
Lovren: 5
Aleksandar Kolarov vs. Alberto Moreno
This is a closer call than most battles.
Both Aleksandar Kolarov and Alberto Moreno are better going forward than they are defensively. Kolarov has an outstanding left foot; Moreno probably covers more ground.
It’s arguably the weakest area of City’s squad. This one is a draw.
Kolarov: 6.5
Moreno: 6.5
Defensive Midfielders
3 of 5
Fernandinho vs. Lucas Leiva
Brazilian midfielder Fernandinho is having a wonderful season for City.
He is a box-to-box midfielder—a throwback to a bygone era. He can sit and make tackles and interceptions, disrupting the opposition and halting their forays forward, but he can also join in attacks, providing key passes in the final third.
Lucas Leiva is not a top-class defensive midfielder, but he certainly does an important job for Liverpool. He is disciplined and sits deep, screening the back four and breaking up attacks.
He perhaps lacks explosiveness and is capable of cynical challenges, but he has a key role in the side.
Fernandinho, City’s best player this season, wins this battle with ease, though.
Fernandinho: 9
Lucas: 7
Yaya Toure vs. James Milner
At 32, there are many who are questioning Yaya Toure’s ability to continue influencing the City team. They feel he is a fading force, a player whose best days are slipping into the distance.
This season, though, he’s been excellent. He is perhaps not his explosive best, as he was in 2013/14 when he scored 20 league goals, but he still brings drive and energy to the City side, contributing to the attacking side of City’s game and providing moments of brilliance.
James Milner returns to City for the first time since he departed in the summer after five trophy-laden years on Saturday.
The club didn’t want him to leave, but the guarantee of more first-team opportunities swayed his decision.
Few players can match his stamina and work rate, but Toure clearly offers far more.
Toure: 9
Milner: 7.5
Attacking Midfielders
4 of 5
Kevin De Bruyne vs. Jordon Ibe
Could Kevin De Bruyne have made a better start to life at City? The Belgium international, 24, has surprised a lot of people with the impact he has made in such a short space of time.
He has scored six goals already, with a variety of finishes demonstrating his ability. He is a wonderful passer, has superb vision and the confidence he has shown has been remarkable.
Jordon Ibe looks like a special talent. He's quick and direct, and he frightens defenders with his pace and trickery. Many at Liverpool see him as a prospect capable of making a significant impact at the top end of the game.
De Bruyne: 8.5
Ibe: 7
David Silva vs. Adam Lallana
The potential return of David Silva after six weeks out with an ankle injury is a huge boost for Pellegrini ahead of this game.
Pellegrini said it would be a "risk" for Silva to return, but if the Spaniard is able to play he would surely boost City's chances of victory.
He is their chief conductor, the man who dictates the pace and flow of the game and provides key passes that unlock the opposition defence.
He's the best player in City's history and will always be remembered for the impact he has had on the side.
Adam Lallana is a decent player, but he's nowhere near the quality of Silva.
Silva: 9.5
Lallana: 7
Raheem Sterling vs. Philippe Coutinho
Much of the pre-match focus will inevitably be on Raheem Sterling, who faces his former side for the first time since leaving Anfield in the summer.
Sterling has made a steady start to life at the Etihad Stadium. There have been highs, such as his hat-trick in the win over Bournemouth in October and his outstanding display away at Sevilla, but there have also been some ineffective performances that have seen him on the periphery of games, unable to influence them in the way he would like.
Coutinho is Liverpool’s star player. He’s creative, possesses great vision, can unlock defences with a single pass and, at his best, provides a goal threat too.
Sterling: 7.5
Coutinho: 8
Strikers
5 of 5
Sergio Aguero vs. Christian Benteke
Liverpool’s Christian Benteke is a genuine threat—a player with a mix of pace, power and a blistering finish.
But Sergio Aguero is the best out-and-out striker in the Premier League, perhaps even Europe. Few can match his quality.
He’s just returned from a seven-game absence, and much will depend on his fitness levels.
The Argentinian is the clear winner of this battle.
Aguero: 9
Benteke: 7.5
