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The big match of the weekend in the Premier League sees the top two players face off at Anfield as Liverpool visit Manchester City. Few would have counted on the defending champions falling so far behind the current EPL leaders, but that is the situation coming this weekend. Pep Guardiola urgently needs to turn the tide so that City can stabilize themselves, while Arne Slot wants to see his Reds go for the collar and possibly deliver an already fatal blow when December begins. After the traumatic midweek collapse at the Etihad Stadium against FeyenoordCan the beleaguered Guardiola’s week get any worse?
Don’t bet against it.
Pep under pressure
There are no two ways about it: Guardiola is under pressure after City’s poor run of form. Not necessarily under pressure because he could lose his job, as he has just extended his contract with the Premier League title holders for another year, with an option for a second. However, the kind of pressure he has rarely, if ever, faced during his career. This is perhaps the ugliest form the Catalan tactician has ever seen from either side and his distressed midweek look reflects that despite his vast experience he is in uncharted territory. City have already lost three times in the EPL and are eight points behind Liverpool, but the recent 4-0 defeat at home to Tottenham Hotspur and the 3-3 UEFA Champions League collapse against Feyenoord – from three goals – illustrates how bad things are at the moment.
Seamless slot
What Guardiola would give for the seemingly easy transition to life at Anfield that Slot is enjoying so far. The Reds have built an eight-point lead by winning ten games and losing just once, so even if they lost the gap between the two would still remain at five points. However, if they win, Liverpool could be eleven points clear and even at this stage of the season it is an extremely impressive lead and one that could potentially be unassailable. Even in the UCL they have a two-point lead over their pursuers in the competition phase, to underline their status as a European football team. How long they can keep that up is another question, but Slot has his group performing at the level of some of Jürgen Klopp’s best results.
Anfield advantage
There is also the undoubted advantage that playing in front of home support will give the Merseysiders another example of their great football history with the midweek victory over Real Madrid. Liverpool’s only defeat so far this season could have been at home to Nottingham Forest, but that is increasingly looking like an anomaly. Real, Bayer Leverkusen, Aston Villa, Brighton and Hove Albion and Chelsea have all been beaten at Anfield in all competitions so far this year. Don’t count on them adding City to the charts as they look to protect themselves ahead of what could be a tricky December race for even the most stacked squads.
City collapse
In the event that Slot’s team were to inflict another defeat on Guardiola’s troops, there would be an eleven-point gap between the two, which would appear decisive. It doesn’t seem likely that Liverpool will drop many – or even any – points in the short term, either in the Premier League or the Champions League. Even if the Reds suffered a dip in form, could it really be worse than City’s? And how long will this current low period last? Based on the evidence of their last two results, Guardiola’s men are not out of the woods yet in terms of putting the worst behind them and moving forward.
How to watch
- Date: Sunday December 1 | Time: 11am ET
- Location: Anfield-Liverpool, England
- Watch: USA Network and Telemundo
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