Liverpool 2020 v Manchester City 2018 position breakdown

Liverpool’s defeat at the hands of Watford means that their quest for an invincible season is over, but their surge towards their first Premier League crown is all but assured. Jurgen Klopp’s men boast a huge lead over Manchester City.

The quest now for the Reds is to try to beat City’s record points’ tally of 100 earned in the 2017/18 campaign in Pep Guardiola’s second season at the Etihad Stadium. Their recent wobble aside, Liverpool have a strong chance of achieving the feat and tracking their odds on a weekly basis on Betzcenter is the best way to find value as there could be another unpredictable slip-up.

It will not stop them winning the crown but it could ruin their hopes of being viewed as the best Premier League side of all-time. Comparisons have been made to Manchester United’s treble winners, but where does this Liverpool team stack up to City’s record breakers position-by-position?

Keeper

Ederson was outstanding in his first campaign at City in the 2017/18 term. He fitted seamlessly into the ranks as he and his defenders kept 18 clean sheets and conceded only 27 goals over the course of the campaign.

Alisson has been a revelation since his move from Roma to Liverpool. The Brazilian has provided the security that the club have been longing for from their keeper for a good while. Klopp’s men have kept 12 clean sheets and have only conceded 20 goals in their 29 matches to date.

It’s splitting hairs.

Verdict: Alisson (just)…

Defence

City’s backline was comprised of Kyle Walker, Nicolas Otamendi, Vincent Kompany and Fabian Delph. They were successful, but more down to the firepower of their line-up, scaring the daylights of their opponents, while when they were asked to defend elite players they failed to rise to the task.

Compared to Liverpool’s line-up it’s a different story as Trent Alexander-Arnold, Joe Gomez, Virgil van Dijk and Andrew Robertson have been rock solid. Walker and Alexander-Arnold could be debatable, while Kompany gets the nod ahead of Gomez as his injury record does not count against him.

Verdict: Trent Alexander-Arnold, Virgil van Dijk, Vincent Kompany, Andrew Robertson.

Midfield

City have the edge here and a whole lot more. Klopp has a strong engine room in the middle of the park, but his team does not boast the quality of the Blues on this occasion. Kevin De Bruyne was arguably the best midfielder in the world during that campaign and remains so to this day.

David Silva is one of the most underrated players of recent times, controlling the midfield with ease. Fernandinho and Jordan Henderson could be the only debate. Henderson has seen his importance to Liverpool sky rocket as his injury problems have coincided with the Reds’ recent struggles. However, Fernandinho at the peak of his powers was rock solid in front of the back four. Sorry, Jordan.

Verdict: Kevin De Bruyne, David Silva, Fernandinho.

Attack

This one is probably the hardest one to choose given the quality on display. Sergio Aguero has to fill one of the three spots. He scored 21 goals in 25 appearances for City in the 2017/18 campaign and has been the deadliest marksman in the Premier League over the last 10 years. He has to play through the middle so Roberto Firmino has to miss out. Mohamed Salah’s ability to cut open defences and produce brilliance out of nowhere gets him in the side.

Salah has not been as prolific as his 2017/18 season when he scored 32 goals, but he has been so influential in the final third in his side’s surge towards the crown this term. Raheem Sterling or Sadio Mane? The two players are similar in their style, using their express pace to terrorise opposing defences. Sterling had his most productive season in City’s record-breaking year, but Mane is just that bit more clinical in the box. There’s not much in it, but the Liverpool man gets the nod.

Verdict: Sergio Aguero, Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane

Overall: Alisson; Trent Alexander-Arnold, Virgil van Dijk, Vincent Kompany, Andy Robertson; Kevin De Bruyne, Fernandinho, David Silva, Sergio Aguero, Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane.

Liverpool 2020 v Manchester City 2018 position breakdown

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