Fine Margins...
City versus Liverpool has become one of the Premier League's great modern rivalries.
The domination of the title race for the past three years threatens to resume for the 2020/21 campaign with this meeting hugely important for both teams.
A City win would mean a gap of just two points between the clubs with a game in hand for Pep Guardiola's men.
A draw would see Liverpool remain five points clear of City, while an away victory would see Jurgen Klopp's side establish an eight-point lead with only eight games played (City still with a game less).
So, plenty riding on this!
As the graphic shows from the goal-line technology still from our game against the Reds in January 2019, a couple of millimetres ended up deciding the 2018/19 title race with City pipping Liverpool by one point.
We'll never know how that game - which ended 2-1 to City - would have panned out, but had the whole of the ball crossed the line, Liverpool would have taken the lead and even a draw may have meant that Klopp's side ended with 99 points and City 97.
That spectacular clearance from John Stones was ultimately the difference in the end and it proves that the well-used phrase 'fine margins' can be the difference when it comes to winning titles - or not.
Liverpool arrive at the Etihad on the back of a 5-0 win against Atalanta and seemingly starting to look more like the side that raced to the title last season.
City's form is also encouraging, and as more players return from injury, so the quality of the performances gets better and better.
It will be nail-biting stuff, no doubt, but another chapter in the City v Liverpool rivalry that, while being relatively new, looks set to continue for the foreseeable future...
Good afternoon and welcome to Jurgen Klopp and his Liverpool staff.
This fixture, between the last two Premier League champions, is always one that is greatly anticipated by everyone and I am sure today is no different.
We would both liked to have had fans in the stadium creating the special atmosphere that this type of contest always brings with it but, sadly, it is not to be and that is the same for all teams.
Liverpool come here after an excellent UEFA Champions League win over Atalanta in Italy midweek and we are very happy with our own form after we, too, won in the same competition against Olympiakos.
Overall, we did a good, professional job in that game. We moved the ball very well and dominated the match. The last pass could have been better on occasion and the finishing a little sharper, but we created chances and deserved the three points that put us in an incredibly strong position in our qualifying group.
This afternoon will clearly be a huge challenge for us and for Liverpool. Both teams start the season with the mindset of winning the league and both know the other is a big rival.
But there are only three points at stake like every match in the Premier League and however those points are divided up, nothing will be decided today.
As coaches, Jurgen and I have met many times, in different countries and with different teams and our players know each other so well, so it may be the small details that make the difference between winning a losing a game like this. We have rested and prepared well since the win over Olympiakos and are looking forward to testing ourselves this afternoon.
While I am here, I would like to congratulate our women’s team that won the FA Cup last Sunday against Everton and the Youth Team who defeated Chelsea in the FA Youth Cup final on Monday night.
It has been a great week for the whole club securing those two prestigious national trophies.
Of course, I know some of the youth team players well and their quality because they train and work with the first team every day.
I thought the performance in coming from a goal down to win 3-2 was outstanding. They showed so much courage and personality – not just in the final but throughout the competition. As did the women, too.
It is testament to the strength of our Academy and our club right now. There are a lot of very good players coming through of all ages in both the men’s and women’s game.
Enjoy the match, everyone
Pep
I was impressed with our win over Olympiakos in midweek...
We must remember that any side in the Champions League is there because they deserve to be there and, more often than not, they are the champions of their own country.
The fact that we’ve won all three of our group stage games is the perfect response to our exit against Lyon last August – it would have been easy to carry a hangover from that defeat into this season, but Pep and the players have got straight on with the job and now we need one more point to qualify for the Round of 16.
My hope is that when that is achieved – and I say when rather than if – the next phase of the Champions League will see some of our fans allowed back into the stadium. I know Manchester United have floated the ideal of having 23,000 socially-distanced fans inside Old Trafford and I agree that it has to be a possibility.
I know I’ve said it many times, but football needs supporters in the grounds and the sooner we can do so and in a manner that is safe for everyone, the better.
I’m really looking forward to our game against Liverpool.
I’m sure Sir Kenny Dalglish will be at the Etihad and it’s always good to see Kenny and a few other old friends from Anfield.
It’s very early on in the season and hard to believe that we are in November but have only played six Premier League games, but obviously this is an important battle in the title race.
Maybe it’s a good thing we are meeting early on because although both sides are playing well, neither ourselves nor Liverpool have hit top gear yet.
And Liverpool are still reeling from losing Virgil van Dijk who is so important to them – of course, we can relate to that because we lost Aymeric Laporte for much of last season and he is a huge player for us.
There have been signs that Liverpool have started to improve defensively after a bit of a shaky start, but van Dijk’s absence means their defence will not be as strong as it was with him in it.
Of course, they have a superb front three, so we know it will be tough – games against Liverpool have always been tough, going right back to my playing days – but we have players who can hurt them and if we are anywhere near our best, I’d expect us to get a favourable result.
Finally, in my last column, I spoke about my friendship with Norbert Stiles and how sad it is that we’ve lost another legend of the game.
It also made me think that during the period when football was suspended earlier this year, Tony Dunne also passed away – another former United player.
Tony was a fantastic servant for United, but was a quiet, shy man off the pitch.
I had some great battles against him and he was a good man – I had meant to talk about Tony during the summer but I’m glad I have been able to do so now.
Enjoy the game and shout the lads on from your front rooms and most of all, stay safe.
Liverpool: The Season So Far...
City know better than most how hard it is to defend a Premier League title, but that is what Liverpool are trying to do this season.
Liverpool's campaign began with a penalty shoot-out defeat to Arsenal at Wembley, before hosting Leeds United in the Premier League curtain-raiser.
Marcelo Bielsa's side proved more than a match for Jurgen Klopp's side and were drawing 3-3 with only a couple of minutes remaining until Mo Salah won and converted a penalty to secure a 4-3 win at Anfield.
Next up was a difficult-looking trip to Stamford Bridge to face Chelsea, with the game swinging Liverpool's way when Andreas Christiansen was dismissed for the hosts just before the break.
Sadio Mane then scored twice in four minutes just after the restart to seal a 2-0 win.
Lincoln City were then mercilessly swatted away 7-2 at Sincil Bank in the Carabao Cup as a much-changed Liverpool ran riot.
And the good form continued as Klopp's side made it four wins in a row with a 3-1 win Premier League win over Arsenal.
Mane, Andy Robertson, and a debut goal for Diogo Jota saw Liverpool recover from a goal down to win 3-1 at Anfield.
October, however, would be anything but enjoyable for the champions.
Mikel Arteta's Arsenal – playing Liverpool for the third time in five weeks - returned to Anfield just a few days later to beat Liverpool (again), 5-4 on penalties after a 0-0 draw during normal time to end interest in the Carabao Cup for the Reds.
And nobody could have predicted what came next, as Liverpool travelled to Villa Park to take on Dean Smith's Aston Villa.
Villa, who escaped the drop on the final day of last season, produced a stunning performance to win 7-2, with Ollie Watkins grabbing a hat-trick and Jack Grealish a brace.
In fact, it was 7-2 with 15 minutes remaining, so it could have been even worse.
It was one of the Premier League's biggest upsets for many years and it rocked Liverpool to the core.
Were the Reds suffering a title hangover? The result and performance was inexplicable, but given some of the scores we’ve seen so far this season, perhaps these anomalies will continue throughout the campaign for all clubs.
A Merseyside derby against a resurgent Everton was the last thing Klopp needed, but that was the first fixture after the international break.
It proved a costly afternoon for the Reds, who saw Virgil van Dijk injured by a clumsy challenge by Everton keeper Jordan Pickford. The game ended 2-2 and it was later confirmed Liverpool's captain faced many months out with a serious knee injury.
The Reds started their Champions League campaign off with a 1-0 win away to Ajax before earning a hard-fought 2-1 win over Sheffield United, coming from behind to beat the basement Blades.
A 2-0 win over FC Midtjylland followed and October ended with another narrow win over West Ham, with goals from Salah and Jota cancelling out Pablo Fornals' early strike.
Bringing their season up to date, Liverpool recorded an impressive 5-0 win away to Atlanta in midweek, with Jota grabbing a hat-trick plus further goals from Salah and Mane.
So, overall, Liverpool have won nine, drawn one and lost three times – two of those being penalty shootout losses against Arsenal.
One set-back in normal time from 13 is hardly cause for concern and new signing Jota has slipped seamlessly into the team and could start ahead of Firmino at the Etihad.
What is different from last year is that 18 goals (all competitions) have so far been shipped – that’s more than half the Premier League total from last season already.
The loss of Van Dijk will resonate with City fans who will recall how Aymeric Laporte’s absence for much of last season with a similar injury which kept him out of the side for several months.
But the return of Alisson from a shoulder problem seems to have calmed the Reds’ defence down somewhat, with just two goals conceded in the past five matches.
In short, not that much has changed from last season and this will be one of our toughest matches of the campaign, without a doubt.
Name:
Aidan Lawrence
From:
Westmoreland, Jamaica
Hobbies:
Playing football, playing games, and watching movies
Dream:
To become better at playing football!
Favourite player:
Raheem Sterling
Aiden’s story:
I have been a City fan for three years now.
The reason Manchester City is my favourite football team is as follows…
It began when I first started watching the Premier League and I saw the City and they were playing an exciting type of football I really liked. Now I’m a Cityzen forever!
I have never attended a game as yet but plan to in the future. All my friends are City fans, too.
The Song:
'Oh What a Night!'
The Lyrics:
(Sung to the tune of The Four Seasons’ ‘December 1963 (Oh What a Night)’
‘Oh what a night’
A second half in two thousand and four,
Three nil down and Joey shown the door,
I remember what a night!
‘Oh what a night
Shaun Wright-Phillips showed you how it’s done,
Distin, Bosvelt joined in on the fun,
I remember what a night!
‘Oh what a night,
Two minutes left before some extra time,
Macken shows up on the six-yard line,
4-3 up oh what a night!’
The Story:
This minor classic was first heard shortly after City’s remarkable FA Cup 4th round replay away to Tottenham in January 2004 during which 10-man City went in 3-0 down at half-time only to win 4-3 on a dramatic night at White Hart Lane. Every City fan of the time remembers that game and it certainly was quite a night. If you’re not familiar with the tune, Google it and join in using the lyrics above – and well done to whoever came up with the idea in the first place!
HERE’S TO BRIGHT BLUE SKIES …
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Your wellness, our priority
Using clever, self-scan technology, optimised seat maps and new queuing systems, we’ve limited touchpoints and made sure there’s more space between you and other guests at all times.
We’ve introduced additional deep cleaning measures that focus on the surfaces that are touched most often. That includes our check-in counters, toilets, seats, and entertainment screens, so you can feel comfortable knowing that we disinfect every touchpoint of your journey more regularly.
All of our aircraft are deep cleaned at every destination, and our filters on board remove 99% of microbes in the air – because cleaner air means cleaner cabins.
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Visit etihad.com/wellness to discover more.
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CITY V LIVERPOOL
THE STORY SO FAR...
It took a while for City to shake the stranglehold Liverpool had in this fixture...
Ask any City fan (and we're talking about many generations, here) and the mention of facing Liverpool would invariably end with a deep sigh.
Putting it bluntly, this has been a fixture we've been happy to put behind us, historically speaking.
In fact, no side has dished out the torment the Merseyside Reds have over the past 124 years, but that is all changing and the past decade has been much more productive in terms of results.
The first eight meetings between Liverpool and City gave an indication of what was to not always be the most level of playing fields between the clubs.
Liverpool beat City 3-1 in January 1896 and would win seven of the first eight meetings, drawing the other. In fact, a 3-2 triumph for City at Hyde Road in 1903 was our only victory in the first 11 clashes with the Reds, but a 1906 win at Anfield would spark a better run of results as City won five of seven meetings up to 1909.
The next 15 meetings couldn’t have had better symmetry, with City and Liverpool each winning five games and the other five ending in draws.
Liverpool edged the 1920s with seven wins, three draws– including winning 1-0 in the first meeting at Maine Road – and suffering just five defeats. But City would end the decade with a record 6-1 win at Anfield – one of several thrashings the Blues would hand out to the Merseysiders over the next 10 years.
Between 1935 and 1937, City would win 6-0 and 5-0 at Maine Road and 5-1 at Anfield in successive meetings – an aggregate of 16-1 – in one of our best runs in this fixture, though Liverpool would largely dominate during the War League years between 1939 and 1945.
There would only be nine meetings in the 1950s including a first FA Cup clash that City edged after a replay, but the teams were often in different divisions and between 1954 and 1962 there was an eight-year gap between league meetings.
Towards the end of the 1960s, both City and Liverpool had strong squads under the leadership of Joe Mercer and Bill Shankly respectively, but only three out of 10 matches would end in City’s favour and from the 1970s on, Liverpool would completely dominate meetings.
The Reds would win 11 to City’s four with five matches drawn out of 20 meetings and an aggregate of 37-16 overall in Liverpool's favour. From 1974 to 1981, this would be a miserable fixture for City fans with the Reds winning 12, drawing two and losing just once – and it wouldn’t get much better during the 1980s.
There was a brief respite when City recorded an evermore elusive win at Anfield on Boxing Day 1981 – the 3-1 victory being our first success against the Merseysiders in their own backyard for 25 years – but this sandwiched in-between six successive thrashings at Maine Road that saw Liverpool score 20 goals and concede just two.
The 1980s saw 16 meetings resulting in 12 Liverpool wins, two draws and just two City victories. Though Liverpool had dominated much of the 1970s and 80s both domestically and in Europe, there was still a disproportionate leaning towards the Reds in this fixture and, disappointingly, the 1990s would see this trend continue, though the contests were largely more even affairs.
Of the 13 clashes, City lost five and drew six, winning a couple at Maine Road but none at Anfield where Alan Ball took his side twice in the space of four painful days in October 1995 and saw his team beaten 4-0 in the League Cup and 6-0 in the Premier League.
And from 2000 to 2010, City would win just two of 20 meetings – though at least one of those was a 2-1 win at Anfield that ended yet another lengthy period without success on the Reds’ home soil (22 years).
City fans waited for the tide to slowly turn – and from August 2010, it finally did.
City’s 3-0 win at the Etihad that season was the start of a much more productive decade – though still one that that saw no Anfield victories...
City would enjoy another 3-0 home success in 2012 and managed to avoid defeat at Anfield in five of six trips to Merseyside (five draws) and won home games in 2013 and 2014, with the latter year also seeing City pip the Reds to the title in a thrilling battle at the top.
In 2016, the clubs met at Wembley for the first time, with Willy Caballero the hero in a penalty shoot-out City won 3-1 to claim the League Cup to gain a bit more payback.
In 2017, City finally handed Liverpool a long overdue thrashing, winning 5-0 at the Etihad, though the Reds ended our long unbeaten run at Anfield later that campaign by winning 4-3 at Anfield.
Later that season, Liverpool would end City’s Champions League hopes, winning 5-1 on aggregate after a number of crucial decisions went against Pep Guardiola's men – but City would still cruise to the Premier League title that season.
And the 2018/19 campaign would see City hold Liverpool 0-0 (Riyad Mahrez missing a late penalty) at Anfield before edging a crucial 2-1 win at the Etihad as Pep Guardiola’s men hunted down Liverpool’s sizeable lead at the top of the table before finally claiming the title on the final day of the campaign.
And in August 2019, City won another penalty shoot-out at Wembley to secure the FA Community Shield against Liverpool.
The 2019/20 season, however, finally went Liverpool’s way as Jurgen Klopp’s side ended a 30-year wait for the title. The Reds won 3-1 at Anfield and were already champions by the time they arrived at the Etihad for the behind-closed-doors return fixture.
City won that game 4-0, but it was little consolation for the dethroned Blues who eventually ended 18 points behind Klopp's side.
Now. we do it all again...
DREAM TEAM:
JOE CORRIGAN
One of the greatest goalkeepers in the history of Manchester City, Joe Corrigan, spent 17 years at the Club from 1966 to 1983.
He played alongside numerous team-mates, several managers and made more than 600 appearances during which time he was regarded by City as England’s No.1. Big Joe was unfortunate to be around at the same time as Peter Shilton and Ray Clemence and his tally of nine England caps was scant reward for so many years of bravery and brilliance.
He went on to play for Brighton and Norwich before spending 10 years as a goalkeeper coach with Liverpool. The question is, who made it into Joe’s Dream City XI?
Joe’s XI:
Joe has gone for his hero Bert Trautmann in goal, with the tried and trusted full-back combination or Tony Book and Glyn Pardoe while the formidable central defensive pairing of Dave Watson and Vincent Kompany completes a fearsome defensive line.
Roy Paul is given defensive midfield duties, with David Silva, Colin Bell and Kevin De Bruyne providing creativity, vision, and boundless athleticism further forward. Raheem Sterling and Sergio Aguero would provide the goal threat up front. Quite a team!
And with Pep in charge, goals and entertainment would be guaranteed.
KEVIN CUMMINS
This month Manchester City, in conjunction with artist Jamie Cooper, launch a large print based on a painting of our Team of the Decade 2010-2020.
Now we all have our favourites, and choosing a team of the decade is a very subjective matter. But I’m sure we all agree that all the players/ managers on this painting have and still are, fan favourites.
But look behind the players and what do you see?
Yes, there are a host of familiar faces in the crowd. I don’t know all of them but just above Pep I’ve spotted Noel Gallagher with ex-Smith Johnny Marr and former Joy Division/ New Order manager, Rob Gretton (who inexplicably seems to have brought some 7” singles with him).
Just behind Rob is another former Smith, Mike Joyce next to Chris Sievey (Frank Sidebottom) with his son, Harrison. Behind them is another great Manchester musician, The Fall's Mark E Smith. And who is that giving the thumbs up behind Vinny’s head but Mike Pickering of M People fame.
I thought that was the lot - a fine tribute to our musical heritage, but then I looked above Ederson’s head and spotted Liam Gallagher with a very dapper silver-haired gent behind him - and suddenly realised it was me.
What an honour and what a blast to think I’ll be on City fans walls the world over. Yes I know you’ll be buying it for the Team of the Decade, but there’s no altering the fact that you are now getting more than you bargained for :-)
The Team of the Decade is available to pre-order now.
MARC RILEY COLUMN
Living in South Manchester I regularly find myself driving myself in the direction on the city centre and passing the various turn-off’s and side streets that used to serve as my different routes to our former home Maine Road.
Every now and then I stop off in the housing estate and hover around the centre circle and consider my various vantage points throughout the years. On that last day of activity, I remember I was stood in the very same spot addressing the shell-shocked and emotional crowd, some of whom were reluctant to leave and some of whom were visibly in pieces. The game had been played… the bands had played their respective swansongs… and we were moving on to an exciting new chapter in the Club's history.
Little did we know just how exciting that would prove to be.
If I need bringing back down to earth there is an artefact that can’t fail but to remind me of the former passion and sometimes pain associated with our home in Moss Side.
It is this!
I’d like to think that this was the actual chair I used to sit on in the top tier of the Kippax. But the chances of that are roughly 35,150 to 1 …so I wouldn’t be good money in that being the case.
This chair was gifted to me by a mate - Matt Maxey - who bought six of the blighters when the assets strippers moved in. It looks barely used which leads me to believe it would most likely have been from the far corner of the Kippax where nobody actually took to their seats during the games and spent much of their time shouting at away supporters in the Platt Lane stand.
These days (when I’m allowed in) my seat in the Etihad is a luxurious spongey affair which is more comfortable than most of the seats in my house! But this thing does remind me of a distinct lack of circulation in the backside area. We were made of sterner stuff in those days.
As all matches are currently viewed from the comforts of our respective houses I thought I should make an effort to re-connect with my younger self - and watch the Olympiakos match from the vantage point offered to me from the above artefact.
I lasted just under 15 minutes.
I seem to remember the boardroom table went for just £300. Can you imagine the sights that thing would have seen? Big Mal combing his fur coat whilst sucking on a smoke-billowing Cuban cigar? Joe Mercer telling Big Mal to put his billowing cigar out? Franny Lee daydreaming of a life of luxury brought to him by an ever expanding global need for toilet roll?
Kevin Keegan curling his hair?
The mind boggles.
I do still wish I’d managed to buy the plastic bird of prey that used to dangle above my head from the Kippax gantry.
Talking of all these things… this from Wikipedia!
“An auction of the ground's fixtures and fittings took place in July 2003, raising £100,000, which was donated to community projects in the Moss Side area, which was undergoing a lengthy regeneration process. The two penalty spots and the centre spot were thought to be the most desired mementos, but all three had been cut out from the grass before the auction took place. The auction lasted for seven hours and 1,000 supporters attended the auction with interest from clubs such as Preston North End and Norwich City for the bigger lots which could be reused.”
Great work MCFC!
So, our next match is the team who have somehow managed to turn themselves from being kindred spirits with a similar opinion of our main North-West rivals… to actually BEING our main North-West rivals!!
How did that happen?
Either way… I really hope we send them on their way with their tails between their legs...
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