Sunday 26th August 2012
Anfield
Anfield
Liverpool VS Manchester City
What is often referred to as momentum in sport can sometimes be attributed to the domino effect. Winning - and losing - becomes a habit and as such, results in the immediate past have an effect on those in the future. Having beaten West Brom last week Brendan Rodgers' men would be feeling confident, knowing that any result against the champions would be a positive. Now there's a little more pressure on the side to get something and give the season the kick start it needs.
Because I'm an idiot who uses backwards logic, I'd feel a lot more comfortable if our record in this game wasn't as good as it is. It's been nearly ten years since since Man City have emerged victorious at Anfield and when you consider the great strides they've made in that time it's not a bad run at all. I have this impending sense of "they're due one", which shouldn't impede the thought process of a rational person as often as it does. If they're going to win, it will because of the sheer weight of great players they have on display. Fortunately for us they're missing arguably their greatest threat. Sergio Agüero is out of the game and I'm sure - along with the rest of us - Jamie Carragher must be ecstatic.
The subject of Liverpool's number 23 has been one of great debate over the last seven days. His performance after being brought on last Saturday will have only increased the volume of his detractors. There's no doubt whatsoever that big games bring out the best in Carra but I feel that playing him today would be a severe regression, for the club and especially Sebastián Coates. If we are ever going to learn about the credentials of the man - regardless of how raw his talent is - now is that chance. Should he fail and we go on to lose, Rodgers will have at the least learned something whereas going with the safe option in Jamie Carragher not only do you lose that knowledge, the question will still need to be asked of Coates somewhere down the line.
In spite of all the pessimism that's been floating around recently, it is after all our first home game of the season - one that I always look forward to. Last year, Anfield wasn't so much a fortress as an all you can eat buffet for teams to come and gorge themselves on as many points as they saw fit. Opposition goalkeepers in particular thrived, although today were up against one in Joe Hart that doesn't really need any more building up. Of the many things that we have to put right, the home form is at the centre of all that. It's the foundation to which the success of all Premier League teams - regardless of ambition - is based. I don't know whether it's an advantage or not that we're playing all these big games at Anfield so early on in the season but if we do manage to get through it relatively unscathed then it may be just the confidence boost that we need when the likes of Wigan and Stoke come to town.
For all the excitement that our new signings have generated - and Sahin does titillate the footballing taste-buds - it's a product of the Melwood academy that's everybody is talking about. Raheem Sterling has a long career ahead of him, but it does feel as if we're at the point where his story starts to come good. I watched the Hearts game again recently, he's the kind of player whom you could very easily get carried away with. Not only does he deserve his place in the squad but has to be pushing for a first team place. Starting him today - much like Coates - could be a little bit of a risk, but definitely one worth taking.
Both managers are known for the pragmatic approach to which they oversee their respective teams. With that in mind it's not too much of a stretch to suggest that we may be in for a real tactical battle today. While that's very possible, I think that this game may very well fly in the face of that and be a very high tempered affair. The home crowd will be rocking and as such with high profile contests like these, we'll ride that wave of support and get in their faces very early on and not let off. Having said that, the problem with Manchester City - more so than pretty much any other side in the league - is that they have the talent at their disposal to score at any time, regardless of how they're playing at the time. A clean sheet in this game will be very hard earned, for either side.
Against certain teams, it's fairly easy to predict what will happen. Both City and Liverpool are teams that bring with them a certain unpredictability although Mancini has moved great strides into making them a very cohesive, consistent unit over the last few years. I know that we have the quality to disrupt them, Lucas in particular shone so brightly in this fixture last year that it virtually nullified all his doubters in one consummate ninety minute performance. There are still questions to be asked, such as whether Steven Gerrard can bounce back from his performance against West Brom and how big a part - if any - will Andy Carroll have to play following Borini's ninety minutes against Hearts in midweek? Whether we win or lose there will be people claiming it's either the end of the world or we're the greatest team ever. Though I'm not a fan of going overboard, I sincerely hope it's the latter.
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