Pep Guardiola

Observations: The Great Rivals don’t give each other an inch

Similar to their first clash at Anfield, Liverpool and Man City were the better team for one half each at the Etihad. Man City stifled Liverpool and broke through after waves of pressure, then in the second half, the Reds closed down the paths through and created a number of quick attack opportunities. The first...

Bobby & The Etihad Corral

The gunfight at the O.K Corral is an historical moment that has been retold many times over, throughout various western movies. Depending on your age, movies that still seem fairly modern to me will probably be deemed ancient by the generations born after me. Tombstone was a brilliant film that had every scene stolen...

Klopp vs Pep – The Numbers Behind The Rivalry

Is it the greatest rivalry in the history of English football? Jurgen Klopp versus Pep Guardiola, Liverpool versus Manchester City. Records are constantly being broken: the first and only team to achieve 100 points in a league season (Man City - 2017/18); the biggest lead ever in English football at the top of the...

Tactical Breakdown: Liverpool 1-4 Manchester City

Liverpool fell to a third straight league defeat as Manchester City won 4-1 at Anfield. The result all but rubberstamped Manchester City's attempts to reclaim the title, yet the scoreline flatters to deceive in a game that was closely contested but ultimately decided by a number of key individual errors from Liverpool. Systems Liverpool were set...

Liverpool vs Manchester City Preview – Reds do battle to keep failing title hopes alive

THE DETAILS Venue – Anfield, Liverpool Referee – Michael Oliver Date & Time – Sunday, February 7th @ 16:30 Current Odds – Liverpool 12/5, Draw 11/4, Manchester City 21/20 ________________________________________________________ This game has grown in stature in recent years as Jürgen Klopp's Liverpool and Pep Guardiola's Manchester City established themselves as the two main powerhouses in the Premier League. The...

Tactical Breakdown: Manchester City 1-1 Liverpool

As I have grown up, I have witnessed titanic clashes between footballing behemoths. Games for which the world would stand still for 90 minutes in order to witness the spectacle. In the early noughties, it was Arsenal and Manchester United; then Chelsea and United; Liverpool and Ferguson's side followed briefly, before the rise of...

Manchester City vs Liverpool Preview – Etihad bears witness to the first title-rivals clash of the season

THE DETAILS Venue – Etihad Stadium, Manchester Referee – Craig Pawson Date & Time – Sunday, November 8th @ 16:30 Current Odds – Manchester City 19/20, Draw 16/5, Liverpool 23/10 ________________________________________________________ Five points separate these sides as they prepare to do battle at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday evening. Liverpool look well-primed to push for the Premier League title again and...

Key stats as hungover Liverpool routed by Man City

Liverpool’s Premier League title-winning hangover kicked off as they were resoundingly beaten 4-0 by a dominant Manchester City side at the Etihad Stadium. What are the key stats from the first game since the Reds lifted their first title in 30 years? Pep’s Revenge This was Liverpool’s heaviest Premier League defeat in almost three years –...

Reflecting on August’s error of judgement

"Part of me can't help but think that the side that beat us to win the league by a point have strengthened while we've stood still." That's what I tweeted on 7 August 2019. Manchester City had just broken the bank for a big-name full-back again, this time Juventus' Joao Cancelo. Earlier in the summer,...

Manchester City vs Liverpool Preview – Champions still with plenty to fight for at the Etihad

THE DETAILS Venue – Etihad Stadium, Manchester Referee – Anthony Taylor Date & Time – Thursday, July 2nd @ 20:15 Current Odds – Manchester City 21/20, Draw 29/10, Liverpool 23/10 ________________________________________________________ Liverpool arrive at the Etihad Stadium as Premier League champions, reigning Champions League holders, FIFA Club World Cup and UEFA Super Cup winners. That's not bad, is it? If...