Tomorrow brings Liverpool FC at Manchester City which has been, simply put, THE GAME in the Premier League for the past several years. Reds boss Jurgen Klopp has labeled his opponent tomorrow as “the strongest team in the world,” while claiming his side is “a bit closer” to their elite level this season.
I guess we’ll see tomorrow, as Liverpool goes for their first win at The Etihad in eight years.
Liverpool FC at Manchester City FYIs
Kick: Sun. Nov 26, 12:30pm, The Etihad, Manchester, UK
Full, Detailed Injury List: Liverpool Manchester City
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Transatlantic Passage: How the Premier League Redefined Soccer in America: LINK
“Saturday is a tough one, it’s the strongest team in the world for the last few years,” Jurgen Klopp said at his Friday press conference earlier today.
“Our record [at the Etihad] is not great you will tell me! They are extremely strong, nothing I can say makes them weaker otherwise I would say it on repeat. Last year is just a memory. If we make it uncomfortable we have a chance. If they are comfortable in their game, no team has a chance. It feels like we are a bit closer [this season] but we need to win decisive battles on the pitch.
“I’m far off sitting here and thinking ‘we’ve got City’. It’s not ‘City beware’. They are extremely strong.”
These two sides have combined to win the last five Premier League titles, with City taking four of them. Liverpool finished runner-up in two of those four seasons while City was the runner-up in the year that Liverpool won it. From the late 2010s onward, these two clubs have basically been for England recently what the El Clasico clubs (Real Madrid and FC Barcelona) have been for Spain.
Klopp was asked by a reporter if this rivalry is the biggest of all.
“I don’t know but it’s the toughest game you can play for years,” he answered.
“The fans will decide the rival but football wise we needed time to become a rival on the pitch,” he said.
Jurgen Klopp continued: “A lot of things could happen. If we play bad and lose, if we play bad and win I would say it is unlikely, not possible against Manchester City. If we play very good and don’t win it is possible, that is football. And you play very good and win. It all would happen to exactly the same team. This team doesn’t have to pass a test now or something like that. The direction we are going is up. It is really the right one. That is obvious.
“We are not perfect. We saw that. The game before our last Premier League game it was Toulouse and we were not good there. I made a lot of changes so it goes on my responsibility but we still were not good. We were not good against Luton. Got a point, could have won the game but we were not good.”
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He’s written for numerous publications, including the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. He regularly appears on NTD News and WGN News Now, while writing for the International Baseball Writers Association of America. You can follow the website on Twitter.