Liverpool manager Arne Slot denied suggestions that facing Manchester City will be easy – live on Sky Sports on Sunday – despite their contrasting form.
Slot even claimed Pep Guardiola could produce a tactical innovation to haul his side back into the title race ahead of a clash that could help to define both teams’ seasons.
Leaders Liverpool would move 11 points clear of City with victory after winning their last six games.
Sunday 1st December 3:30pm
Kick off 4:00pm
Guardiola’s City, meanwhile, have gone six games without a win – a run which includes five defeats. Their most recent outing saw them throw away a three-goal lead against Feyenoord – Slot’s former club – in the Champions League on Tuesday to draw 3-3.
Despite that surprising slide from the champions, Slot claimed City have played better than their results suggest and he is expecting a tough encounter on Sunday.
“I don’t think anyone in the last eight or nine years – or even longer – would have said that City at home or away [is] easy,” said Slot.
“Everybody is looking at their results. I’ve seen them as well. Against Brighton, they were 1-0 up, they could have scored for 2-0 or 3-0 but didn’t. Then they got beaten 2-1.
Highlights from the Premier League match between Brighton and Manchester City
“Against Tottenham, after 20 minutes they could have been two or three goals up, but they weren’t. Against Feyenoord, that [losing a three-goal lead] has not happened many times. They were 3-0 up and then all of a sudden it was 3-3.
“They are still a very good team. One of the reasons why I think Pep Guardiola is the best manager in the world is he always comes up with solutions.
“His problem now might be that Rodri is out but we all know, at least I think, he will come up with a [solution and] that their form will come again – hopefully after Sunday.
“He [Guardiola] was the one who started playing with the inverted full-back, then he was the first one to play the centre-back as the No 6. I wouldn’t be surprised if he came up with another idea nobody ever thought about before to make his team even stronger. That’s the reason why he inspired so many managers around the world.
Pep Guardiola says Manchester City’s loss of a three-goal lead to Feyenoord to draw 3-3 in the Champions League was ‘difficult to swallow’
“When he came up with it, we thought it was crazy, but [then] we all went, ‘Let’s do the same, it’s a brilliant idea’. I wouldn’t be surprised if he comes up with something new again.
“But let’s wait and see because many things have been done with football now. If there’s anyone in this managerial world who can come up with something new, it’s definitely him.”
‘It’s a good thing nobody talks about our injuries’
It is not just City’s results that have shocked the football world but their performances too. Guardiola’s side have conceded six goals in the final 15 minutes of their last three games – a feat Liverpool have not done once this season.
Asked why City have conceded so many late goals and why Liverpool have not, Slot replied: “Not playing Tottenham yet! Because they’re a very good team with a great playing style.
“It always depends on the circumstances. Them conceding three against Feyenoord probably had a lot to do with the substitutions they made. If you saw the first and the second goal, the second goal the ball hit the post and then it fell to Santiago Gimenez.
“During the season these things can happen to every team. With Arsenal, [Martin] Odegaard being out didn’t help them. Rodri being out didn’t help City.
After a 4-0 loss to Tottenham, former Manchester City defender Micah Richards believes the issues lie deeper than just missing Ballon d’Or winner Rodri in midfield
“I’m hoping we are not facing those same problems but if it does, then we have to make sure it doesn’t hurt us that much. But it always helps if your star player doesn’t get injured.
“When it comes to goals conceded, it’s always also the circumstances. Being 2-0 down and taking a lot of risk is different to being 1-0 up and keeping a clean sheet.”
Title contenders City and Arsenal have been hit with a large number of injuries at the start of this season. The Gunners have seen captain Odegaard, plus Jurrien Timber, Ben White, Riccardo Calafiori and Bukayo Saka miss important games.
City, meanwhile, have seen Rodri likely ruled out until the end of the season, with Mateo Kovacic, Jeremy Doku, John Stones, Oscar Bobb, Kevin De Bruyne and Jack Grealish all facing fitness issues.
Liverpool have also had some injury issues, with recent blows to Alisson, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Diogo Jota – plus fresh concerns over Conor Bradley and Ibrahima Konate – and Slot was asked if the Reds’ injury problems have been understated amidst their continued success.
Conor Bradley limped out of Liverpool’s win over Real Madrid
“In general, people only talk about injuries if the results are not there,” said Slot. “So it’s a good thing that nobody talks about our injuries – it means we have our results in.
“But the moment you start to lose, it’s about kick-off times on a Saturday afternoon, or injuries, or we’ll come up with certain ideas why we didn’t win. But nine out of 10 teams, it’s about the qualities of the players of the other team or their game plan.
“We do have some very important players being injured but if the replacements do so well, it’s normal that people don’t talk about it that much.
“It is true that missing Alisson – who has been a starter and been important for this club so long – missing Diogo Jota, missing Trent in the last two games, those are players who have impacted a lot on the results of the last two years. But it’s a good thing we don’t talk about it.”
Watch Liverpool vs Man City live on Sky Sports Premier League and Main Event this Sunday from 3.30pm, kick-off 4pm. Stream the game with NOW.