Man City (A) - Sun 10th Apr 2022 (4:30pm)

[Trumo]

The press are calling this the title decider. Of course much can change for both teams after this game no matter the result, but none of that matters to the meedja as this one is the be all and end all. No doubt it’ll be Tyler and Gareh on comms, and we already know it’s a Manc ref in charge. Of course it is. It’s like the only qualification to be a PL ref is to hail from Greater Manchester and proclaim that you support some small local team who play 5 levels below the Vauxhall Conference (or whatever the Conference is called these days). Still:

 

Motivation. Organisation. Strength. Skill. Space. Intelligence. Drive. Energy.

 

I don’t ask for much.

 

Last season’s corresponding fixture finished all square, with Mo’s early penalty being cancelled out by Gabriel Jesus. De Bruyne missed a penalty for the hosts too, given for a handball when a shot from outside the area struck Big Joe on the arm. As with so many such instances, the player isn’t trying to handle the ball, just instinctively protecting his face from a projectile flying in his direction at speed. A comment I’ve made many a time when seeing such things is how I wish to boot a ball at a ref’s face just to see how they react. Anyway, I think we had a few absentees at the time due to Covid, had no Virg for the rest of the season, and no Thiago until after Christmas. A point looked fair at the time.

 

A better away day came in April 1982. We had been knocked out of the European Cup early but had retained the League Cup and would go on to reclaim the League title. That had seemed very unlikely earlier in the season as Sir Bob had rebuilt the side and several stalwarts had either left or lost their place in the team. Brucie had been extremely erratic, Lawro was bedding into the defence, Whelan and Skippy were getting more game time ahead of the likes of Terry Mac and Ray, and a young Welshman was being selected ahead of David Johnson (who would soon be rejoining the blue half of Merseyside).

 

They’d well and truly found their groove by the new year, and City were merely one of the victims in a 5-0 rout at Maine Road. Wee Sammy got the ball rolling with a 35-yard rocket of a free kick into the top corner of the net. Phil “Yes boss” Neal buried the second from the spot after Rushie had been brought down in the area. Skippy added the third after an incisive move, and Barney Rubble added a brilliant/fluky [delete as appropriate] right-footed cross-shot into the far top corner over the head of City keeper Joe Corrigan. Kenny and Rushie traded passes as they broke clear of City’s crumbled back line, with the latter having all the time in the world to place the ball into the net and send the Kippax faithful home thoroughly miserable. A year later they’d watch David Pleat run across the pitch like an animated corpse as his Luton side pulled off a miracle to remain in the top flight at City’s expense. Here's a good highlights package of the 5-0.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MgWxbrDlXVY

 

April 1982 saw the box office topped by an early example of the high school coming-of-age/gross-out comedy genre, in the form of Porky’s. Kim Cattrall was in the film featured in my last match thread, and she was in this one too. It’s set in an earlier era, and basically showcases the series of ridiculous events that follows after a group of high schoolers manage to get their way into the titular (pardon the pun) strip club, only to be fleeced of all their cash. This is yet another film I know of but haven’t actually seen. For some reason I was thinking it was more like Animal House or Fast Times at Ridgmont High, but reading up on it leaves the impression that the film’s makers were looking to tread a different path. Consensus suggests that while it proved a hit at the box office, it hasn’t stood up as well as those named above. What say you lot though?

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QWmtDAIK03M

 

This is a fixture where Klopp and his players need only think about getting the 3 points and ignore all the context around that feat and what it might entail. I usually say that we can achieve that provided the right motivation, application and attitude are in evidence, but that is especially true against City, who are a very strong team with plenty of depth in key areas, and able to ride out perceived deficiencies in others. Do all the right things, and we can all go home happy knowing we’ve taken a step as a means to an end. Let’s go get it done.

 

EDIT: No idea why the clips are not auto-embedding.

[Oh Buoy]

4-1 Liverpool. 

 

Up the fucking reds.

[sir roger]

15 minutes ago, Bot said:

4-1 Liverpool. 

 

Up the fucking reds.

You've missed the Man City from before the 4

[Creator Supreme]

Man City will fustigate Liverpool!

 

5-0 to City.

[3 Stacks]

This game is the best opposition of styles in football. A team that wants to play in transitions versus a team that wants to avoid them. And the two best teams in the world.

 

We can't have the forwards losing the ball, they need to have a clean game. If they're sloppy, we could get twatted because City have the quality to hurt us when we're opened up. And they also usually use the diagonal a fair bit against us so Trent will have to be good defensively.

 

Basically, it comes down to if we can create and take advantage of giveaways, while limiting our own. 

 

I think they are slight favourites as they're at home, but we can win.

[Bobby Hundreds]

I'm nervous the last game we played them they hadnt been great and i was full of beans beforehand  but that first half they were so superior to us it was like a kick in the bollocks but we had that threat still that could do damage. I've no idea what to expect other than we are facing the biggest cheats in world football.

[Pete]

Just win. 

[suzy]

I’m going to have proper butterflies for this. Not happy at all about the ref, I want Oliver!

Please please win.think it might be a draw though. 

[Rushies tash]

Guardiola has had them quite cagey in our last few meetings, having learned that going gung-ho against us doesn't end well. Given that they don't have to win, I can see them being happy to keep it tight for the majority of the game - following their initial ten minute 'get it to the byline and cut it back' blitz.

[sir roger]

They'll have more chances than us, we need to be more clinical than them.

[Oh Buoy]

I've been looking at previous games to see how many chances we've created, possession stats, xG, and influences of VAR. What's common about this (and other games we've played in too really) is that if we put the ball in the net more often than they do, we will win.

 

[Aventus]

8 minutes ago, Bot said:

I've been looking at previous games to see how many chances we've created, possession stats, xG, and influences of VAR. What's common about this (and other games we've played in too really) is that if we put the ball in the net more often than they do, we will win.

 

Hopefully our spreadsheet jockeys at the club have come to the same conclusion 

[coachpotato]

Sadly I have to admit if there’s one team in world football who could pick us apart, it’s these.

Conversely, if there’s a team who could rip them to bits by putting pressure on a defence that is rarely tested, it’s us.

We play as we can, and we win.

Just do it Reds.

 

[A_S]

Alisson

TAA

Matip

VVD

Robbo

Fab

Hendo

Thiago

Mo

Bobby

Mane

[Anubis]

get in. Get the three points. Pat Pep's baldy head. Get out.

[an tha]

5 minutes ago, A_S said:

Alisson

TAA

Matip

VVD

Robbo

Fab

Hendo

Thiago

Mo

Bobby

Mane

That is team i'd go with.

 

Feel Firmino's pressing is necessary against these - they hate being pressed as nobody ever does it to them...and his linking of play will be very handy against these too.

 

 

[Rushies tash]

Diaz would have a field day against their high line as well. Good option from the bench with tired defenders.

[Aventus]

The difference between us might not be who starts but the strength we have on the bench. Having the likes of Jota who is clinical in the box and Diaz who has relentless energy to run at a tired defence means that the 3 we start have full license to give every ounce of energy they have without needing to worry about saving themselves for the full 90. 

[Rushies tash]

9 minutes ago, Aventus said:

The difference between us might not be who starts but the strength we have on the bench. Having the likes of Jota who is clinical in the box and Diaz who has relentless energy to run at a tired defence means that the 3 we start have full license to give every ounce of energy they have without needing to worry about saving themselves for the full 90. 

Both teams are outstanding going forward. I think the game will be decided on how good our midfield 3 are at tracking their runners.

[Em City]

I would like to see us play Diaz. Play diagonal passes out to him, get him to back Walker up and run against him. Bobby will probably play due to his pressing and his ball retention has been much improved the last few weeks.

 

Diaz - Firmino - Salah 

 

I think Klopp will go for the traditional front 3 though.

[joe_fishfish]

Cunt kick off time, cunt refs, cunt commentators, cunt sportswashing opponents.

 

I reckon we'll still get a point. But if we win, I'm certain we'll win the league. Absolutely no doubt at all.

[an tha]

1 hour ago, Rushies tash said:

Both teams are outstanding going forward. I think the game will be decided on how good our midfield 3 are at tracking their runners.

Foden is the one that worries me most....need to ensure we stop him.

[Fallen Angel]

https://www.si.com/soccer/liverpool/.amp/articles/anthony-taylor-confirmed-as-referee-for-liverpool-vs-man-city-title-decider

 

Couldn’t have predicted that…

[Creator Supreme]

If we're getting stuffed I'm all for us recreating Willie John McBride's 99 call from the 1974 Lions tour.

 

Basically - grab the nearest thing in Sky Blue and punch fuck out of it! The ref can either send all of us off or none of us off!

Edited April 7, 2022 by Creator Supreme
Fuck off autocorrect!

[El Rojo]

They haven’t had to deal with Diaz yet, which might be a good argument for starting him.