Man City (H) - Sun 1st Dec 2024 (4:00pm)

[Trumo]

This is a fixture that Sky will be billing as a title decider. Despite our healthy lead over City, it’s far too early to call it that as we’re only at the beginning of December by the time the game kicks off. Still, it wouldn’t hurt for us to put even more daylight between the teams.

 

A year ago, Jurgen announced that he would be stepping down at the end of the season. Such was the pressure of trying to go toe-to-toe with City with so much stacked in their favour that he couldn’t countenance trying to go again the following season. There was a physical and mental toll, but I think it was more that he was totally fed up with the media side, and completely at his wits end with PGMOL. Perhaps the return of Michael Edwards would mean relinquishing significant influence over the recruitment side, and he didn’t want that either. He’ll be taking up an Edwards-type role with the Red Bull set-up in the new year.

 

The same stresses of the job are currently evident with Guardiola at City now. They and he are enduring their worst run since forever, and those scratches and cuts to his head and face I don’t believe are the result of self-harming (he joked about that but quickly backtracked) or a stress-induced reaction to what he has seen unfold in front of him, but rather due to an altercation in the dressing room or training ground. Despite his new contract, it appears that all is not well behind the scenes. They threw away a 3-goal lead against Feyenoord in midweek, and that on the back of 4 or 5 successive defeats in all competitions. Coincidentally, Rodri’s absence is considered to be a key factor but it can’t surely all be down to him being missing. Their midfield has been showing signs of legginess like we saw from our midfield in 2022, and they’ve a few defenders unavailable so are using others in defence. We know that from 2021.

 

In the summer, they were almost as frugal as us in the transfer market. They brought in Savinho from Girona (no dodgy dealing there of course involving another club within the City Group) as well as bringing back Gundogan from Barcelona after a year. Alvarez was sold for big money to Atletico, and they got good fees for both Harwood-Bellis and Delap, from newly-promoted Southampton and Ipswich respectively. Southampton have given City a lot of money for academy players in recent years, having previously also signed Bazunu and Lavia. The issue is that while the cave troll is still banging in the goals, the others around him have not kicked on.

 

That’s not our concern. Despite the two teams’ currently contrasting fortunes, we need a complete absence of complacency, and instead bring a mentality of wanting to step on City’s throats and squeeze, with no let up. We wait for news on Conor and Ibou’s knocks, but both Trent and Harvey are available and should be in the squad. Not sure if Ali, Fede or Diogo are going to be ready but hopefully they can take part in full training and thus become options for Slot. And hopefully the feverish atmosphere we got against Real Madrid is again to the fore. I want some new gifs and memes of Guardiola losing his shit. Oh, and some Noel Gallagher face-like-a-slapped-arse pics are also very welcome.

 

How have our previous managers got on in their first home fixture against City/Abu Dhabi? It’s a very very good record. Half of it is against a mediocre club from Moss Side, and the other half is against an Emirati sportwashing project.

 

Souness...28/12/1992...Liverpool 1-1 Man City (Rush)

Evans...28/12/1994...Liverpool 2-0 Man City (Phelan og, Fowler)

Houllier...09/09/2000...Liverpool 3-2 Man City (Owen, Hamann 2)

Benitez...21/08/2004...Liverpool 2-1 Man City (Baros, Gerrard)

Hodgson...N/A

Dalglish...11/04/2011...Liverpool 3-0 Man City (Carroll 2, Kuyt)

Rodgers...26/08/2012...Liverpool 2-2 Man City (Skrtel, Suarez)

Klopp...02/03/2016...Liverpool 3-0 Man City (Lallana, Milner, Firmino)

 

I don't ask for much. Maximum motivation, control, application, attitude and concentration from minute one. 3 points please. Get it done!

[Binomial]

Can only see this result going one way, City are there to be steamrolled and this freight train is coming right at them and Darwin's the driver. 

 

It'd be a miracle to see Bradley or Konate so at least a couple of forced changes I'd suspect, also look to bring in Szobo for Mac....could use his running power and energy to create overloads and basically run their midfield ragged.

 

Kelleher

Trent Gomez Virgil Robbo

Grav

Szobo Jones

Salah Nunez Gakpo

 

 

[Anubis]

Just win.

[TD_LFC]

We won't win.

[johnsusername]

1 hour ago, TD_LFC said:

We won't win.

 

We might win. I'll check the score via Ceefax on Sunday night. 

[Pete]

13 minutes ago, johnsusername said:

 

We might win. I'll check the score via Ceefax on Sunday night. 

Oracle for me. 

[Megadrive Man]

Kelleher

Trent

VVD

Gomez

Robertson

Gravenberch

Mac Alister

Szoboslai

Salah

Diaz

Gakpo

[bossy]

I’m wary, but if we play like last night we’ll be fine. Anything less and there could be trouble, we should never count City out. 2-1 us.

[Reckoner]

I’m holding space for bumming them up the anal hole.

[VladimirIlyich]

1 hour ago, Pete said:

Oracle for me. 

So what's the score gonna be then?

[Dapower]

Need the atmosphere to be something they can’t handle so hopefully baldy hasn’t cut his fingernails

[Scott_M]

Despite them not being in great form, we need to approach the game as we did last night - bully them, dominate and go for the throat.

 

I’d love a fast start and early goal(s), I’m sure they’ll be looking to keep the crowd quiet and keep the ball. 
 

Same questions I post most weeks now - I assume Bradley is out so Gomez or Trent?Will Konate be fit? Jones or Szoboszlai? Which 2 from Nunez, Gakpo & Diaz?

 

Hopefully West Ham can do us a favour on Saturday evening and we do our job on Sunday. 
 

Just. Fucking. Win. 

[Bruce Spanner]

Twat ‘em and give the badly weirdo an excuse to get his P45 a couple of seasons early.

[suzy]

I was aware of the cuts to guardiola’s face but haven’t heard much about it. Did he actually exchange blows with a player of did he cut himself in a mad rant?!

[LFC 6 Times]

Kelleher, Trent, Gomez, Virg, Robbo, Grav, Dom, Mac, Mo, Diaz, Gakpo. Harsh on Curtis but Dom’s energy could wreck these.

[Aventus]

1 hour ago, suzy said:

I was aware of the cuts to guardiola’s face but haven’t heard much about it. Did he actually exchange blows with a player of did he cut himself in a mad rant?!

The official story is that pep self harms when he's stressed. 

 

Confirmed by the man himself 

[Reckoner]

Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck

[Aventus]

Will be an intriguing game this, we've never played against them during a slump like this, and we all know how much pep can over think things during big games. 

 

Will we get bitten by the wounded animal, or will we put it out of it's misery?

[halewood pete]

I'm so looking forward to this game ,I think we can and will humiliate them,the fucking bums 

[TheHowieLama]

If we win this the serious talk about not talking about the title can begin.

[Em City]

I watched their games against Bournemouth, Brighton and Spurs. They look like us in 22/23 - completely shot. We should be aiming to pack the side with as much pace and power as possible and run right at them from the very first minute.

 

It's up to us really: if we're on it, we'll wipe them off the park: if not, we'll likely be leaving a golden opportunity behind us.

 

Kelleher

 

Bradley 

Konate (Gomez if Ibou isn't fit)

VVD

Robbo

 

Gravenberch 

Szoboszlai 

Jones

 

Salah 

Nunez 

Diaz

[3 Stacks]

17 minutes ago, Em City said:

I watched their games against Bournemouth, Brighton and Spurs. They look like us in 22/23 - completely shot. We should be aiming to pack the side with as much pace and power as possible and run right at them from the very first minute.

 

It's up to us really: if we're on it, we'll wipe them off the park: if not, we'll likely be leaving a golden opportunity behind us.

 

Kelleher

 

Bradley 

Konate (Gomez if Ibou isn't fit)

VVD

Robbo

 

Gravenberch 

Szoboszlai 

Jones

 

Salah 

Nunez 

Diaz

Yeah normally I'd be thinking this is a game to not play a centre forward, like against Leverkusen.

 

But honestly the way they're doing, it feels like we should just overpower them.

[Creator Supreme]

Liverpool 0 115FC 4 (Troll 4).

[an tha]

32 minutes ago, Em City said:

I watched their games against Bournemouth, Brighton and Spurs. They look like us in 22/23 - completely shot. We should be aiming to pack the side with as much pace and power as possible and run right at them from the very first minute.

 

It's up to us really: if we're on it, we'll wipe them off the park: if not, we'll likely be leaving a golden opportunity behind us.

 

Kelleher

 

Bradley 

Konate (Gomez if Ibou isn't fit)

VVD

Robbo

 

Gravenberch 

Szoboszlai 

Jones

 

Salah 

Nunez 

Diaz

I would be very surprised if Bradley is fit.

[Daisy]

Cunts