The Liverpool legend has been talking Manchester City ahead of today's massive Premier League match at Anfield
Sport
Updated 11:12, 01 Dec 2024
Graeme Souness has been shocked by Manchester City going into today's big game against Liverpool at Anfield
Graeme Souness has been shocked by Manchester City going into today's big game against Liverpool at Anfield
(Image: Three Up Front podcast)
You could not have predicted it at the start of the season. But should Liverpool beat Manchester City at Anfield today, the defending champions' hopes of winning a fifth straight title could be over by December 1.
While no-one would write off Pep Guardiola's side, an 11-point deficit to a table-topping Liverpool team marching relentlessly on would feel too much.
The Reds go into this afternoon's match, which kicks-off at 4pm, already eight points clear of City, who have lost three straight league games and five of their last six in all competitions. And even though they technically stopped the rot in midweek, the fact that they threw a three-goal lead away to draw 3-3 at home to Feyenoord in the Champions League did little to suggest that the Etihad outfit's powers are on the wane despite the fact that Guardiola has agreed to remain at the club.
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City's decline has shocked Liverpool legend Graeme Souness, who in his usual pull-no-punches style of punditry, has raised questions about just what is going on in the sky blue half of Manchester.
“I’m genuinely surprised by what I’ve seen from Manchester City lately,” said Souness on William Hill’s podcast, Three Up Front. “This is a team of serial winners, yet they seem to be lacking confidence - something you wouldn’t expect from players of their calibre.
“Big players should rise above challenges. Sure, every team hits a rough patch and loses a few games, but the mark of champions is how they bounce back. In moments like these, football demands a leader - someone who steps up and fights for the team.
“A true leader carries the rest, even the ones struggling. But I haven’t seen anyone in this City side take on that role.
“I expected every single player to rise to the occasion, especially in the absence of key figures like Ruben Dias, Rodri and Kevin De Bruyne. But instead of focusing on who’s missing, the players who are still there simply haven’t stepped up to do the job.”
City will certainly be without Rodri, the newly crowned Ballon d'Or winner, as well as his replacement as the team's No.6, Mateo Kovacic, against the Reds today along with young forward Oscar Bobb. John Stones and Jeremy Doku are also rated as doubtful.
Liverpool have potentially even more players out but despite that, their new head coach Arne Slot has managed to steer his side to the summit of the Premier League and the Champions League group stage as well as into the Carabao Cup quarter-finals.
Guardiola, meanwhile, has saw City slip well off the past in the English top-flight, nosedive to 17th in the Champions League table, and exit the Carabao Cup.
And Souness said: “Manchester City’s upcoming clash at Liverpool will be a huge challenge. Even at their peak, Anfield was City’s toughest away fixture. So, in their current form, how will they manage to get a result?
“Guardiola’s men should approach it with this mindset: ‘Yes, it’s the hardest game of the weekend, but if we go to Anfield and win, what does that say about me? What does that say about my team-mates?’ That’s the attitude I’d take into this game.
“Rodri’s absence has clearly taken a huge toll on Manchester City, and the stats make that undeniable. When you compare their performance with him in the team versus without, the difference is stark. De Bruyne’s absence is just as significant - he was the chief playmaker, the one who could decide games with a clever pass or a crucial goal.
“But even with these players out, it’s shocking to see how far City have dipped in recent weeks simply due to these two players being out of the squad. This is definitely the toughest challenge Pep Guardiola has faced in his managerial career so far.
“Guardiola has always managed teams with the best squads in their league - whether at Barcelona, Bayern Munich, or City. But the critics might point to this: just one Champions League title in nine years at City. Is that really the mark of a genius?”