This week Super Sunday match was between Liverpool and Manchester City. The outcome for this game was 1-1 draw, way far from Mr I prediction.
Liverpool started the match with 4-5-1 formation, with Luis Suarez upfront support by Jordan Henderson. City also started the game with caution as they threw two defensive midfielder in 4-2-3-1 formation. Kun Aguero play as single striker supported by David Silva.
It was Manchester City who had an early foothold. The Reds look struggle to contain City’s attacking. However, the game looks balanced as the clock ticking up.
Manchester City got the goal lead from Vincent Kompany’s header near post upon received corner delivery from Silva. It was poor defending from the Reds. When you are defending, you need to be in front of the attacker. What happened was both Kuyt and Johnson were behind Kompany, and the Belgian took full advantage of it.
The Reds drew level upon Charlie Adam’s long shot deflected into own net by Joleon Lescott and send Joe Hart into wrong way.
As the match reached towards the final whistle, it was Liverpool who took the game to Manchester City. The Citizen played with 10 men after Balotelli received second booking after fouled on Skrtel. Mancini withdrew Aguero for Dzeko and Silva for Kolo Toure. Liverpool only change was Carroll on for Kuyt. Carroll almost scored a winning goal after he head the ball from Henderson’s cross. The only thing that denied him was Hart’s reflect.
On the other hand, Mr I still believes that this is the game Liverpool should have won. Credit to Kenny Daglish. He got the tactical right as the Reds nullified Aguero and Silva threat throughout the match.
Match Stats: Courtesy ESPN Soccernet
Here are some guidelines for the rating.
10: Brilliant – Superlative performance
9: Superb – Great performance
8: Remarkable – Very influential performance
7: Very good – Dazzling performance
6: Average – Good game
5: Below Average – Decent game; with some faults
4: Poor – Didn’t have any positive impact to the game
Reina: Very good performance from the Spaniard. He has also good at anticipating the ball as he cleared out two poor back pass from Enrique and Adam which can nearly lead to goal. Rating: 8
Johnson: Same as Kuyt, he was guilty for City’s 1st goal. However, he did well to shut Nasri down. We even did not notice Nasri did play in the match until he was substituted by Balotelli. Provide the cross that nearly serves as Liverpool’s winning goal. Rating: 7
Skrtel: Solid as well. Hardly put the wrong foot. Rating: 7
Agger: Looks like he is going to form good understanding with Skrtel. Hope he stay fit through the season. Rating: 7
Enrique: His poor back pass almost cost Liverpool. Luckily Aguero failed to capitalize and Reina was quick enough to clear the ball. Despite that incident, he worked hard enough to keep Milner frustrated all the time. Rating: 6.5
Kuyt: Same as Johnson, Kuyt was also guilty for lose his man, resulting City’s 1st goal. He saw his effort went wide in the second half. Was replaced by Andy Carroll. Rating: 6.5
Lucas: Again, a very good performance from Lucas. He provided cover for the back four and man marked Silva in the second half. He kept the pass simple and hardly lost possession. Rating: 8.5
Adam: Another good performance from Charlie Adam in Reds shirt. He was pulling the string from the middle of the park. Let’s not forget that Liverpool goal came in from his shot. A little bit disappointing as none of his corner produces a goal. However, same as Enrique, his poor back pass cause problem to Reina. Rating: 8
Downing: Linking well with Enrique on the left side of the field and provided some delicious cross too. Rating: 7
Henderson: Played on his natural position. Not involved in many of Liverpool attack in the 1st half. However, he started to shine in the second half. Rating: 7
Suarez: The hardworking ‘El Pistolero’ once again unsettled the opponent’s defense. However, Suarez needs to improve on his first touch, in my opinion. Rating: 7
Carroll: Should be introduced earlier in the pitch. Despite 7 minutes remaining, Carroll managed to get 1 shot on target. Rating: 7
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