Liverpool v Manchester City: The press on the big showdown

Tony Barrett from The Times, Chris Bascombe of the Telegraph, BBC Match of the Day commentator Steve Bower, David Maddock from The Mirror, The Guardian’s Andy Hunter, Oliver Kay from The Times and the Liverpool Echo’s James Pearce all have their say on the big game.

Liverpool back at Wembley this weekend against Manchester City in the Capital One Cup final – how tough a contest is this to call from a journalistic point of view?

Tony Barrett: You can’t call it because it’s one of those games where you can come up with every scenario imaginable. Both teams have been in indifferent form with some really good wins and bad defeats and everything in between, so you can’t call it. When you look at the two teams there is a lot of quality there. For Manchester City, their new manager has already been announced and that has had an impact. Anyone who thinks though that Liverpool have got an easy game come Sunday needs to rid themselves of that idea. City will turn up on the day and it’s a massive final. Whatever has gone on during the past few weeks, whatever shortcomings, City are a top side with top players. Invariably when you have got that and a big game is on the horizon they tend to turn up. I think Liverpool should go into it with a fair bit of confidence and it’s a team that knows if they turn it on they are capable of winning against pretty much any opponent, so it’s difficult to call and if I was a betting man I wouldn’t have a bet – it’s that simple. It will come down to who performs on the day, it will be tight and anyone who thinks it will be a big score either way I just don’t see that at all.

Chris Bascombe: Very difficult because you just don’t know which Liverpool will turn up. They have been brilliant in a couple of games under  Jürgen Klopp and there have been others which have been far from brilliant. If it’s anything like the game at the Etihad then you would say you would be full of confidence for Liverpool but there hasn’t been too many performances like that since. I think for Liverpool it depends whether Daniel Sturridge and Philippe Coutinho are fully fit and available. You wonder what City’s mind set will be and the departure at the end of the season of Manuel Pellegrini. On paper you would have to say Manchester City are the better side and have the better players, but that performance at the Etihad will see Liverpool take confidence from that.

Andy Hunter: I think it is difficult because the teams are so inconsistent more than anything else. If they were both on form and the best players were all fit it might be easier to make a prediction with any certainty, but I just think you don’t really know which Liverpool and Manchester City team are going to turn up. That probably makes it a more intriguing build-up to this final I would say.

David Maddock: It is a tough game to call because City are essentially the best team in the Premier League but they haven’t performed like that this season. Liverpool took them apart at the Etihad earlier this season, but in terms of the quality of the two sides and the money spent especially if you look at how much City spent in the summer, you would say Pellegrini’s side are favourites. But, you could certainly make a case for Liverpool beating them quite comfortably, so I would call a Liverpool win. Of course, though City are capable of dismissing any team if their head is right.

James Pearce: I think it is tricky because both teams have been very inconsistent. Liverpool have kind of gone from one extreme to another. Under Klopp we have seen some fantastic performances, none better than the 4-1 win against Manchester City at the Etihad. We saw the demolition of Southampton and then to a lesser extent the damage they did to a poor Aston Villa team. You then also think of the performances at Watford, Newcastle United and West Ham in the Premier League. With Manchester City no one doubts the quality of their attacking threat but they have had a really bad slump of late which has coincided with the news that Pellegrini will be leaving at the end of the season.

Steve Bower: Very tight. Given what happened earlier on this season under Klopp at the Etihad I think that will play a part psychologically. I think Liverpool will remind themselves of the standards they set that night, what they are capable of and how that hurt Manchester City, and how they did it. I also think City will look back on that game and be very wary of what Liverpool can do and of course they won that night without Sturridge. I think significantly as well Manchester City were without Vincent Kompany as well and they have been wrapping him in cotton wool to play in this final. Yes he is not match fit and razor sharp, but you shouldn’t underestimate the influence and the leadership Kompany has on that team and in the dressing room. His presence probably evens out Sturridge being out there which makes this game a difficult one to call. Significantly at the moment with Sturridge back and Coutinho back and Roberto Firmino having scored against City at the Etihad they will be plenty of talk and respect in the City dressing room about how Liverpool can hurt them as well.

Oliver Kay: If you look back at the past few years Liverpool have had some very good performances against Manchester City. They won’t be relishing the prospect of coming up against Liverpool after the 4-1 game at the Etihad earlier this season. City are not performing well at this moment and yet you look at it man for man and I would say City have got the better players. Liverpool have been inconsistent and under-performed for most of the season but City have performed more below their level. It is a hard game to call but it’s two teams who are not really in great form. I would probably be inclined to suggest City are the favourites, the league table would suggest that, but it’s not easy to call.

Liverpool made everyone in the Premier League stand up when they produced an exhilarating performance at the Etihad earlier this season – how different a game do you expect to that one on Sunday?

Barrett: I think it will be totally different. When you have that type of game and you go into the next game the team that’s been on the receiving end of the bad result is going to give a reaction. Pellegrini will have seen what Liverpool did that day and how effective they were on the counter-attack and he won’t set a team up to allow that to happen again. I think he will be quite conservative in the way he puts his team out. He will be looking to safeguard against Coutinho, Firmino and their link-ups and the pace they have to get in behind. He will also look at Sturridge and the impact he has just by being in the team and his ability to stretch teams. Liverpool will have that in the back of their minds that they produced that display against Manchester City. It does give you a bit of a psychological edge. If you have got a team like City with all their quality thinking about how they are going to stop you then I think that’s a slight edge in itself. City would normally go out and play however they like, and rightly so considering the players they have got, but they will know they have to treat this game slightly differently because of what happened in the previous meeting. City will be looking to keep things tight, stop Liverpool and then impose their own game. It will be really interesting to see how this game plays out.

Bascombe: You would expect it to be completely different really because there is so much more at stake for a start and you couldn’t imagine City would fall into the same trap twice. Having said that Liverpool’s strength is the high energy they have got in attack and they might be more vulnerable defensively. I don’t think it will be as one sided as the game was earlier on this season but the way Liverpool approached that game is probably going to be similar to their approach at Wembley.

Hunter: From a Liverpool prospective they will hope it’s not different at all. If they could repeat that performance I think everyone would be happy from the red side of things! I think Pellegrini has been forewarned and will be aware that Klopp sees City’s vulnerability at the back and the way they pressed them high. It does give an indication of how Klopp would like to approach the game again.

Maddock: I think Liverpool will try and play the same game. If it goes well they will so in that sense it won’t be different if Liverpool get their way because they will try and pass the ball around quickly. I expect Liverpool to play Firmino, Coutinho and Sturridge, if fit, or Adam Lallana, if fit. I expect them to play exactly the same game where they press City and make them pass the ball in difficult areas, and pass around their centre-halves who are not mobile. City will have a different game which is to get their forwards into the game a lot more, because they couldn’t do that at the Etihad because Liverpool pressed them so well. I think City’s midfield is probably the key because for me if Yaya Toure plays in midfield then Liverpool have a real edge because I don’t think City will have the ball enough. Liverpool have got to dominate the midfield.

Pearce: It will certainly be closer. I think Liverpool caught Manchester City cold that day and they absolutely blew them away with that opening half hour. I’m sure Klopp’s game plan will be similar and it’s not rocket science because that was the perfect way to play Manchester City. They didn’t give them time on the ball, they were in their faces so I expect a similar approach but I suspect City will be more prepared for that this time. How City manage to cope with that will probably go a long way to deciding who gets their hands on the trophy.

Bower: Very different to be honest. That was a league fixture and it suited Liverpool that night with the way that Klopp likes to play and it was very early into his tenure. A lot of things clicked and Manchester City defended badly. In a one-off cup final at Wembley it will be totally different. I think the start is all important. If Liverpool can stay in the game or even better go in front I just think Manchester City at the moment are a little fragile psychologically. The Pep Guardiola announcement has an effect because they are human. Yes, Pellegrini is popular and they would like to send him off with a trophy and they know Guardiola is watching. I just think if Liverpool can stay in the game for a long period it will be a test for the psychology side of Manchester City at the moment. I watched them lose to Leicester City at home and if Liverpool can start well and start on the front foot then let’s wait and see what the Manchester City reaction is.

Kay: Liverpool haven’t played as well since and City haven’t played as badly since so I would expect a different game. I wouldn’t expect Liverpool to thrash City by any means but tactically when Liverpool can play with that attacking swarm which was so good at the Etihad they are a very different team to the one we have seen a bit too often over the last 18 months. Liverpool have been disappointing and inconsistent. Klopp is still waiting for his methods to sink in and work in a way he would like. The 4-1 game showed it is possible and he will be hoping for a repeat on Sunday.

Who is Liverpool’s stand out man for you on Sunday and why?

Barrett: The stand out player is Sturridge. People talk about the games he doesn’t play but the games that he does play he is a wonderful talent. That is something that gets forgotten and another thing that gets forgotten is how hard he has to work to get himself fit. I know there has been a lot of criticism about him and lots of question marks but people get frustrated when the top players don’t play. He has fought back and fought back again and that should say in itself how determined he is to get back out there and prove himself and to prove what a top player he is. If Sturridge plays well on Sunday that will give Liverpool an outstanding chance of winning this competition. Sergio Aguero is the one City will look towards but from a Liverpool point of view it’s Sturridge.

Bascombe: If he plays then it has to be Sturridge because he is the one player who is totally world class. If he plays to his potential he can destroy anybody and the same applies to Coutinho as well. If Liverpool had those two playing in combination during the last two seasons then they certainly wouldn’t be where they are in the league at the moment.

Hunter: Sturridge if he plays and if he is fit. Without him in the team and probably to the same extent Coutinho, Liverpool lack players who really unnerve and worry an opponent. With Sturridge and Coutinho both available now that completely changes that dynamic of what an opponent thinks when they face Liverpool. I also think Sturridge facing his former club and a club he left on bad terms adds a little edge to it. It’s the perfect stage for him to give a little overdue reminder of his quality and the reason why people are so frustrated when he doesn’t play. When he doesn’t play you are missing a genuine outstanding striker.

Maddock: Firmino. He is the key in terms of if Liverpool’s game plan works then he will be pivotal to it because it’s not just the closing down and high pressing. When they get the ball they have to use it well and Firmino is brilliant in his partnership with Coutinho. Firmino’s movement is brilliant and do you know what he has not had near enough credit. Firmino has played really well for Liverpool in the last couple of months and for me he has been Liverpool’s most consistent player. He has scored goals, created chances and his movement is unbelievable. If Liverpool can get the ball around City’s centre-halves, his movement will be crucial.

Pearce: Coutinho for me, because he was absolutely sensational in that game at the Etihad. He caused them so many problems that night and in the last couple of weeks we have seen what a difference he makes. I know obviously Sturridge is massive as well because he is the poacher and the finisher Liverpool have lacked without him. Coutinho makes Liverpool tick. He scored on his return to action in the FA Cup tie at West Ham and I thought he was sensational in the demolition of Villa. You tend to find when Coutinho plays well then Liverpool play well.

Bower: The big stage is set for the big players and if Coutinho can play to his standards he could play a big part. I remember that FA Cup semi-final defeat by Aston Villa last season when they were so many negatives about Liverpool, but Coutinho at times seemed to me to say this is Wembley, this is the big stage and this is where I can produce. This could be his perfect stage. He looks like he is the one who revels on this stage. Obviously Sturridge, for all the frustrations with his injury problems, has proved he is a big game player. You would not rule out a script on Sunday, whether he starts or comes on, to have a telling contribution on the big stage.

Kay: I think they are a very different team when Sturridge is on the pitch. I don’t think it’s a great coincidence that several of Liverpool’s better performances have come when Sturridge has been fit. They have a much greater focal point and goal threat in attack. Firmino and Coutinho have done a very good job but I hope Sturridge is fit and can make a good contribution on Sunday.

What is the key to a Liverpool victory at Wembley?

Barrett: The big key is to make sure they turn up. Klopp said recently I know what qualities are in this team and I just want them to show it more often, and that is what everyone is looking at with this Liverpool team. There has been games where they have been absolutely brilliant to watch and worthy winners against some really good sides, like Manchester City, Chelsea and Southampton. The big win against Aston Villa where they have shown what they can do, and that is the key. If they perform as they can it gives them an outstanding chance of winning. In saying that though if they produce displays like they did away at Newcastle and Watford they will probably lose, so it’s about which Liverpool turns up.  You can’t not turn up against a team of Manchester City’s quality and expect to win.

Bascombe: To implement Klopp’s plan effectively as they did in their previous game aganst City. We know how Klopp likes to set up tactically and we know what he expects from his players which is to give 100 per cent, press from the front and not give the opposition any time or space to play from the back. It’s all about how Klopp puts his team together for Sunday and gets the most out of the players he has at the moment that will determine whether he gets his first trophy. Manchester City aren’t quite the side they were a year ago but they have still got world class players, so don’t let them play and get the best out of the players you have got which is the key to victory.

Hunter: The whole collective clicking and not just relying on a couple of players to turn up and do something special. Coutinho and Sturridge would be my stand out players for Liverpool but the whole team has to perform. The whole team underperformed the last time they were at Wembley against Aston Villa, it wasn’t just one or two people having an off day. As Liverpool showed in that 4-1 victory at the Etihad it’s all about the entire team performing on the day, clicking and delivering exactly what Klopp wants and holding their nerve.

Maddock: Firstly they are going to have to defend well because City have got attacking players who will always create chances, even when they are not playing well. Liverpool have got to try and press like they did at the Etihad but that’s difficult at Wembley. I think they will need to press in a slightly different way and make City pass the ball when they don’t want to. They don’t want to get into a situation where City can bring the likes of Sergio Aguero, David Silva and Raheem Sterling into the game. If they can do that then Liverpool can win but they have to take their chances.

Pearce: Starting well is going to be massive. There has been too many far too many slow starts to a game in the last four to five months and Klopp himself has eluded to it as an issue. The game at the Etihad was one of the few times where Liverpool have started brilliantly and been on the front foot. Liverpool need to be on the front foot from the off and need to put City under pressure. If Liverpool start well then I think they will win.

Bower: The key for me is staying in the game and making sure they start well. We have seen a couple of games where Liverpool have given themselves too much to do, but I think if Liverpool start well and maybe score the first goal they will give themselves a great chance. It could take 120 minutes and there isn’t much in it but they have got to defend well and keep it tight early on against the likes of Aguero, Sterling and Silva. They can grow in the game and they do have the attacking players to hurt Manchester City.

Kay: The way they attack and if their front four players can press and hassle the opposition off the ball, win it back, not give them a moment’s rest and force them into mistakes. When they get the ball in the good areas with Sturridge on the pitch they are an incisive team, and without Sturridge they are not particularly incisive. I think it will come down to what their front four can do and how they perform on the counter-attack. City have got great individuals, Aguero, Yaya Toure, Silva and it certainly won’t be easy.

What would a trophy mean to Klopp given the short time scale he has been in charge of Liverpool?

Barrett: It would mean an awful lot and it would mean an awful lot to the club as well. I think sometimes trophies get overlooked in the race for the top four and the amount of games we have now, and European matches. What never changes is Liverpool Football Club should and does exist to win trophies. For Klopp itself it would ease pressure as it would be a first trophy at a first attempt. That would be a sign that his management is working because a manager should be measured on trophies. If he could do that at the first time of asking it would show that his methods are working and would also show what he is already, a big game manager. You can’t downplay how much winning this game on Sunday would mean to Klopp and the club as a whole.

Bascombe: I think it would be an incredible achievement. There’s many clubs who wait years and years to get to a final let alone win a trophy and it almost becomes taking it for granted with Liverpool. If Klopp was to achieve a trophy it would be a catalyst, a springboard and it would certainly be a massive achievement to do it straight away. The last manager Brendan Rodgers did a lot of good work at this club, we shouldn’t forget that, but he just couldn’t take the side over the line to a final or win it. For Klopp to do it straight away would suggest there is a little bit more about him which you suspect there is already. He has just got that extra element you need to get a major trophy for the club.

Hunter: It would be a major statement. Everyone knows Liverpool have hired a winner in Klopp. His personality and his charisma is the biggest thing and that’s the power he already has coming into this job because he is a winner. To win a trophy within five months of arriving in English football he would achieve more than most other managers in the English game, and that would underline the status and the authority of the manager Liverpool have hired.

Maddock: It would be perfect because it means if there is any pressure about their league performances, because they have been inconsistent, then there is nothing on Klopp because he has got Liverpool to a final in his first season and beaten a team like City. That would show what he is capable of. If Liverpool can beat City at Wembley they can beat anybody under Klopp and it would be a massive platform on which they can build upon.

Pearce: It would be a massive achievement. If you look at where Liverpool were as a club when he walked in I don’t think in fans’ expectations they would have believed within five months they would see Liverpool in with a chance of getting their hands on a trophy. It would be a huge pointer in terms of the progress they have made under him. A winning mentality has been crucial in what he is trying to install in them and the squad he inherited. Probably the only player who will start on Sunday that started the 2012 League Cup final will be the captain Jordan Henderson. Jordan will have a huge impact in the dressing room and a real galvanising effect. The first trophy is always huge and for Klopp if he could do it so quickly would be a fantastic foundation for him to build on.

Bower: I think this is Liverpool’s biggest cup final for a long, long time because of the managerial situation. If Liverpool can win the trophy on Sunday and Klopp can come back to Merseyside so soon into his tenure at Liverpool I think that’s absolutely huge. He sends out a signal straight away and I think it’s huge for this group of players to win something so soon under him. A lot of the players haven’t won anything yet and if they can leave Wembley as a winner and deliver under Klopp I think that would be a real psychological lift and statement if they can do it.

Kay: I think at this stage it would be a bonus. His time at the club so far has been one step forwards and one step back, and it has been difficult for him to implement the things he wants to do with the squad he inherited. He has had injury problems notably up front which has been a reflection on the lack of goals, the lack of wins. It’s not about giving credibility to Klopp because I think the Liverpool manager has that. It’s more about generating a lot more excitement in the team and the club and the fan base. You look back to two years how close they came to winning the league under Rodgers. That was such an exhilarating title challenge and then the difficulties that followed they were not able to kick on. A lot of the excitement that built up over the course of that campaign has been replaced by anxiety and frustration. Klopp has tried to get rid of that and if he could deliver a trophy it would suggest much better days are ahead. So much of what Klopp does is about everybody feeling good about themselves, the players, fans, the staff. Liverpool need that moment again when they get their hands on a trophy. It’s not good enough for a club like Liverpool to go so long without a trophy.