Liverpool v Manchester City: A Premier League title decider in November? Don’t be daft
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Updated 08/11/2019 at 18:36 GMT
Liverpool’s match against Manchester City will have some bearing on which way the Premier League title goes, but a home win would not end the race by any means, writes Michael Hincks.
Jurgen Klopp (L) greets Manchester City's Spanish manager Pep Guardiola (R)
Image credit: Getty Images
Expect to hear the phrase “one hand on the Premier League trophy” this weekend. Almost definitely before Liverpool welcome Manchester City to Anfield on Sunday, while it’s a near-certainty after, should the hosts take all three points.
A win would take Liverpool nine points ahead of City going into the final international break of the year, and have Reds fans believing that this really is the season they end what would be a 30-year wait for league glory.
But football is never straightforward, and whether the gap is extended, cut, or kept at six, this will not be the match that decides the title…
English football’s newest rivalry?
Yes, essentially, and it’s borne from the fact these two are streets ahead of the chasing pack.
Both clubs may have a greater disdain for Manchester United, but the post-Ferguson struggles at Old Trafford have led to Liverpool-City clashes emerging as the most eagerly anticipated affairs in the Premier League.
"In the last two years each game we play is the most decisive. Not one where anyone says 'we can lose that'," Klopp said.
"It's a big game, two really good teams. The best news is that it's at Anfield under the floodlights.
"Everything is on a plate, nobody hides anything. If you're not brave against Man City you don't have the chance of even a point. You have to create, but your positioning and protection must be perfect.”
Meetings since 2015-16
- Nov 2015 - Manchester City 1-4 Liverpool - Premier League
- Feb 2016 - Liverpool 1-1 Manchester City (City win 3-1 on pens) - League Cup
- Mar 2016 - Liverpool 3-0 Manchester City - Premier League
- Dec 2016 - Liverpool 1-0 Manchester City - Premier League
- Mar 2017 - Manchester City 1-1 Liverpool - Premier League
- Sep 2017 - Manchester City 5-0 Liverpool - Premier League
- Jan 2018 - Liverpool 4-3 Manchester City - Premier League
- Apr 2018 - Liverpool 3-0 Manchester City - Champions League
- Apr 2018 - Manchester City 1-2 Liverpool - Champions League
- Oct 2018 - Liverpool 0-0 Manchester City - Premier League
- Jan 2019 - Manchester City 2-1 Liverpool - Premier League
- Aug 2019 - Liverpool 1-1 Manchester City (City win 5-4 on pens) - FA Community Shield
Their last league meeting in January proved to be a pivotal one in the title race, as City – aided by a John Stones clearance 11mm before the ball crossed over the line – closed the gap to four points when Liverpool led the way at the turn of the year.
City went on to win the title by a point, with Liverpool’s only league defeat of the campaign coming at the Etihad.
And while that loss reeled Liverpool in, it was ultimately a run of four draws in six games between late January and early March which saw them lose their grasp on the title.
Similar margins will be at stake on Sunday, but there are significantly more games too. No game coming in the 12th matchweek can be labelled a title decider.
For Liverpool, there is a hectic schedule on the horizon. Two tournaments in two continents within the space of 24 hours encapsulates this manic period, but while they will have two squads heading to Birmingham and Qatar separately, it will take a collective effort to tackle the festive calendar as far as the league is concerned.
Liverpool's December
- Dec 4 - Everton (H) - Premier League
- Dec 7 - Bournemouth (A) - Premier League
- Dec 10 - Red Bull Salzburg (A) - Champions League
- Dec 14 - Watford (H) - Premier League
- Dec 17 - Aston Villa (A) - League Cup
- Dec 18 - QF1 winner - Club World Cup
- Dec 21 – Final (if SF won) - Club World Cup
- Dec 26 - Leicester (A) - Premier League
- Dec 29 - Wolves (H) - Premier League
City meanwhile, host Chelsea immediately after the international break and then take on United at the Etihad in December before the Christmas fixtures pile up – which includes matches at home to Leicester and away to Wolves.
Man City's December
- Dec 3 – Burnley (A) - Premier League
- Dec 7 – Man Utd (H) - Premier League
- Dec 11 – Dinamo Zagreb (A) - Champions League
- Dec 15 - Arsenal (A) - Premier League
- Dec 18 – Oxford United (A) - League Cup
- Dec 21 – Leicester (H) – Premier League
- Dec 27 – Wolves (A) - Premier League
- Dec 29 – Sheff Utd (H) - Premier League
If we are looking at potentially crucial moments in the league calendar, it is difficult to look past City’s run of games in early 2020.
Pep Guardiola’s side are set to face Tottenham and Leicester away before hosting Arsenal in February before then travelling to Manchester United and Chelsea in March.
That all comes before City v Liverpool at the Etihad in early April. Tantalisingly placed as there will be six matches left each afterwards.
It’s safe to say that match has the makings of a title showdown, but how things will be shaping up by that point is anyone’s guess.
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