Man City's crossroads between heaven and hell vs Liverpool bonus game. 英 BBC"Two-day face-off, Manchester City bear all the burden"
Dec 01, 2024
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This is the BBC's evaluation. Extreme flow,
It is a battle between the first and third places in the English Premier League. It's a fierce war-like battle, but the atmosphere is a little different.
If Liverpool wins, it solidifies its clear first place. However, there is no big damage even if you lose. It's actually a bonus game. On the other hand, for Manchester City, it is a crossroads between heaven and hell.
There is a reason. Liverpool are unexpectedly in first place.
Jurgen Klopp left the team before the season. Manager Arne Slot has been appointed. Klopp led Liverpool's heyday. There was no choice but to be concerned.
Moreover, Liverpool had little reinforcement last summer. In addition to the competition for the championship with Manchester City and Arsenal, there were many concerns about entering the Big Four, the Maginot Line of the Champions League ticket. Discussions on renewing contracts for the team's flagship players, such as Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk, were not smooth, and even the need for a generational change emerged. Liverpool seemed to end the Klopp era as it was.
However, it was completely different than expected. Ten wins, one draw, one loss. With 31 points, he holds the lead with a whopping six points behind second-place Arsenal. The slot manager system made a perfect soft landing, and Liverpool is aiming to win the league this season.
Man City are the team of Treble last season. European champions as well as the league. The stronghold was strong. The main players remained intact, and Pep Guardiola's leadership was brilliant every season.
However, it has been sluggish this season. It is the third consecutive defeat at this point. They lost to Bournemouth and Brighton 1-2, respectively, and were humiliated by Tottenham 0-4 in the end. He is third in the league, but his performance itself is so poor.
Recently, Pep Guardiola's resignation has also been reported.
At this point, the two teams clash. They will face off at 1 a.m. on the 2nd at Anfield in Liverpool, England.
Of course, Liverpool has an absolute advantage in momentum. There is also a home advantage. Liverpool will be without key center back Ibrahima Konate. There is no Diogo Jota. However, Nunez, Diaz, Salah, Szobolai's first and second line, Alister, Gravenberg's third line, and Van Dijk and Gomez's centre-back duo and Alexander-Arnold and Robertson's four backs are solid.
Manchester City's downward trend began in earnest with the absence of midfield ace Rodri. Elling Holan and De Bruyne are key to the first and second lines, but Gundoan and Lewis in the third line are anxious, and Akanji, Diaz's center back Go Gvardiol and Walker's left and right sides are also anxious. Key Kovacic and center back John Stones in the midfield are also unlikely to make it. The same goes for key winger Jeremy Doku.
The BBC said 'What's unique about this game is that all the pressure is on Manchester City. "The shock of defeat for Manchester City is enormous, but the impact of victory will be huge. Liverpool will be another great result if they win, and they will be disappointed if they lose, but there is no big damage.
sfryu@sportschosun.com
