Manchester City vs. Liverpool – A Premier League Showdown

Will this already be a turning point? This Saturday, at the opening of the 13th day of the Premier League, Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City hosts Jürgen Klopp’s Liverpool (match to follow on VOOsport World 1, or free for all VOO digital TV subscribers on Divertisent-VOO) . Leaders with a small point ahead of the Reds, the Citizens could strike hard if they were to beat the Reds. And thus gain the moral ascendancy over their rival, they who aim for a four in a row never achieved in the English championship. For Liverpool, the only club to have deprived City of the title since 2018 (it was in 2020), this first duel of the season will gauge the ability of the Reds to once again become the Skyblues’ main problem, who only finished 5th. last season. So that the epicenter of the Premier League remains located in the North West England region, without opening a new fault line towards London, from which the Arsenal Gunners want to spring, who are now making the northern neighbors tremble.

With Jérémy Doku, there is a new sheriff in City

This autumnal shock could therefore prejudge the spring verdict, even if in the English garden, we must be wary of hasty forecasts. Only the promise of a beautiful bouquet of roses seems inevitable, as the landscapers of the two clubs like a lush approach, without going off with a gun.

A single 0-0 between Guardiola and Klopp

During the twenty-eight previous clashes between Pep Guardiola and Jürgen Klopp (during Bayern – Dortmund, then during City – Liverpool), only one 0-0 recorded: October 7, 2018, at Anfield (8th day of the Premier League). It’s clear: we almost always have fun when the two technicians compete. Last season, their four duels (two in the league, one in the EFL Cup and one in the Community Shield) gave us 15 goals. With a Mancunian fireworks display during the last PL shock at the Etihad Stadium, when, on April 1, the skyblue poison had sunk the Reds four times, goals signed Álvarez, De Bruyne, Gündogan and Grealish in the absence from Haaland, after Salah had opened the scoring (4-1).

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The public comes looking for thrills and if the coach suggests a game of chess on grass, one of them has to change stadiums…

Guardiola in the Premier League has scored 691 goals in 278 matches, an average of almost 2.5 goals per match.

Klopp in the English D1 is 655 goals scored in 308 matches, an average of 2.13 goals per match.

Their fourteen PL clashes have resulted in 47 goals scored, or an average of 3.4 goals per match. Matches that are rarely closed, where the stakes do not kill the game.

“The public comes looking for thrills and if the coach suggests a game of chess on grass, one of them must change stadiums…” Klopp said during his heyday at Dortmund, when he inflamed the public passionate about the Westfalenstadion, as he now charms that of Anfield. The German has not changed his philosophy.

But of the 47 goals recorded during their Premier League duels, 29 were scored by Guardiola’s City.

Pep Advantage

Slight advantage therefore for the Catalan (who has never lost at home against the Reds). If we except Guardiola’s first season on the bench, with a 3rd place behind the duo Chelsea (champion)-Tottenham (2nd) in 2017, Pep’s City has always been the team which marked the more goals in PL. With a record from 2018, 106 goals, then assiduous flirtations, and supported, with the hundred: 95 in 2019, 102 in 2020, 83 in 2021, 99 in 2022, and 94 in 2023. And if the Skyblues keep the rhythm of their first twelve matches 2023-2024 (32 goals scored, or an average of 2.66 per match), they will collect 101 roses in their basket at the end of the championship.

Despite the offensive wealth obtained since his arrival at Anfield (the eternal diamond Salah; the former treasures Coutinho, Firmino, Sadio Mané, Origi…; the current jewels Diogo Jota, Darwin Núñez, Luis Díaz, Cody Gakpo…), Jürgen Klopp does not never placed his artillery on the front line, losing his perpetual fight against Guardiola. Even during the title season: his runner-up had drawn seventeen more times than him (102 goals compared to 85 for the Reds)!

A fan who doesn’t know how to choose his favorite scorer Erling Haaland (City) or Mo Salah (Liverpool)? ©PA Wire/PA Images

Mo Salah fond sur Michael Owen

With Mo Salah, Klopp nevertheless has a “Râ” of surfaces. The Liverpool striker, top scorer for the Reds each season since 2018, is only one goal away from joining the top 10 best scorers in the history of the Premier League (since its creation in 1992). The Egyptian has already scored 149 goals (like Les Ferdinand), all for the Reds. The three-time top scorer in the English championship (2018, 2019 and 2022) has his sights set on Michael Owen, the former 2001 Golden Ball winner at Anfield, 150 goals in the PL, including 118 in the Liverpool jersey. Then, Salah will set himself a new level: becoming the best foreign scorer in the PL, by dislodging Sergio Agüero from the top 5. The Argentine striker has scored 184 pearls in the PL with Manchester City, including 82 under Guardiola. Allowing the Catalan coach to collect awards for best attack of the season, like Erling Haaland (49 goals in 47 Premier League games!) today…

The top 10 top scorers in the Premier League

1. Alan Shearer (The) 260 goals2. Harry Kane (The) 213 goals3. Wayne Rooney (The) 208 goals4. Andrew Cole (The) 187 buts5. Sergio Agüero (Arg) 184 goals6. Frank Lampard (The) 177 goals7. Thierry Henry (Fra) 175 goals8. Robbie Fowler (The) 163 but9. Jermain Defoe (The) 162 buts10. Michael Owen (The) 150 buts11. Les Ferdinand (Ang) and Mohamed Salah (Égy) 149 goals
2023-11-25 06:12:00
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