Manchester City rubber stamped their title credentials when they drubbed one of their title competitors, Liverpool in the second Premier League weekend. Manchester City were able to play their natural game throughout, as they found space when they attacked during the game, time after time. They could easily clean up any attack that Liverpool made, which was excellent and yet, eerie. If City keep playing like this, they are certain favorites to win the League. They didn’t look too perturbed, and if they can make an attack of Sterling – Sturridge – Coutinho look like amateurs, there will be few teams who can get past them, unless City have bad days in plenty. Fans of the other teams should beware of a City team that hasn’t hit its straps in terms of its attack, as that will define games even further.
Liverpool did not give up, even when they were 3-0 down, as they almost took charge of the game towards the 83th minute when they scored a goal (an own-goal by Zabaleta) and threatened to score more. Liverpool were good, but were unable to trouble City in their third. Their play was imaginative to an extent, but lacked any sort of an end product, and Suarez was definitely missed. Lambert was introduced too late to have an impact, as a 4-1-3-2 strategy with Lambert in the XI could have challenged City. Liverpool were not so great at the back, but the margin makes it look like an even shoddier performance than what it was.
However, the muscle that City possess in midfield looked ominous. Liverpool were outplayed and ran out of men who could push and tackle the opposition City players, as they focused on Silva, Nasri, Yaya and Dzeko, maybe forgetting that Jovetic was on the pitch, for which he made them pay, with a well-taken brace. Stevan Jovetic showed his class, as he staked his claim for a place in the team, after his forgettable, injury-hit season last year, and deserves the Man of the Match award.
Ratings:
Manchester City:
Joe Hart – 6.5/10 – Made saves, but was shielded by a good defence
Pablo Zabaleta – 6/10 – Shuttled up and down the right flank on his return, was unfortunately involved in the only goal that Liverpool scored.
Martin Demichelis – 7/10 – Coped with Sturridge and Sterling, unlike the last time where he was outmuscled and outmaneuvered by them.
Vincent Kompany – 7.5/10 – Marshalled the defence with aplomb, thus doing what he does best.
Gael Clichy – 8/10 – Stifled Sterling in one of his best performances, made important clearances throughout.
Fernando – 6/10 – No-nonsense approach, cleared up all the messes, kept getting possession back for City.
Yaya Toure – 6/10 – Was the powerhouse in midfield, but didn’t exactly light up the game.
David Silva – 7/10 – Had a decent game, made key passes into the centre, got better with time.
Samir Nasri – 6.5/10 – Was decent, but came to life in the second half.
Stevan Jovetic – 9/10 – Proved what he was capable of in a City shirt, both goals reflected his efforts.
Edin Dzeko – 6.5/10 – Led the line, held up play and did everything he had to, but nothing exceptional came from him.
Liverpool:
Simon Mignolet – 5/10 – Had a horror game, will not forget the Aguero goal for some time.
Glen Johnson – 6/10 – Made efforts to defend consistently, tried to attack from the back without success.
Dejan Lovren – 6/10 – Is slowly becoming the leader of the defence, however, had a so-so game.
Martin Skrtel – 5.5/10 – He was a rock at the back, but couldn’t make an impact on the game.
Alberto Moreno – 5/10 – Had a baptism by fire, had to keep Silva and later on Navas at bay, wasn’t a great performance. He also let Jovetic score the first goal.
Joe Allen – 6/10 – Moved the ball forward, but it kept coming back to him. He wasn’t able to compete with City’s tough midfield.
Steven Gerrard – 6/10 – Faded away as the game went on, marshalled his troops forward, but that wasn’t enough.
Jordan Henderson – 6/10 – Made runs forward, but couldn’t impose himself on the game.
Raheem Sterling – 6.5/10 – Made attempts to beat the defence, linked up with Sturridge and supplied chances in the first half.
Coutinho – 5.5/10 – Inconsistency got the better of him; it was a lacklustre performance in a crunch game.
Daniel Sturridge – 6.5/10 – Showed why he needs a strike partner, couldn’t do everything by himself.
Manchester City can take delight from this game and use it for inspiration later on during the season, as their strikers were not in top form, but good performances from the rest of their players spurred them on. Liverpool fans could say that the scoreline didn’t do justice to their team’s efforts on the pitch. However, they will need to up the ante now, as they would want to prove that they are title contenders, not just also-rans.