Jürgen Klopp once said that he played “heavy metal football,” a moniker that has defined every YouTube coaching compilation. In reality, he probably should have acted like fan-minded Katara or Teah from Yu-Gi-Oh and said he runs his team on the power of friendship. There is no reason Liverpool should have played as well as they did yesterday versus Manchester City. The right side of Liverpool was basically asking 100 children to play against 3 Japanese players. I don’t want to send offense the way of Kelleher, Quansah, Bradley, or Elliot, but Pep saw that right side and said, “boys just target that right side and it’s finished by the half.”
Even Manchester City, who have in the past 7 or so years really had trouble doing anything significant at Anfield, knew they were going for the win.
And that’s about how it went for the first 10 to 15 minutes, as Manchester City ran a little rampant, exploiting that right side. But, there’s a reason that Liverpool won the Carabao Cup with the a squad composed of players that can not legally drink in England (the drinking age is 18). And that reason is Klopp’s power of friendship. Sure, pulling Kelleher to create a back 3, allowing Gomez and Bradley (but mostly Bradley) to move further down the pitch. And, it’s a big deal Klopp was able to pull Endo and Szobozslai to close down Stones and Rodri, leaving KDB unable to receive any effective passes. KDB, the man who’s feet scare everyone, only completed 16 passes.
But what really pushed Liverpool over that edge was the pressing force from Liverpool, especially that youthful right side. Nathan Aké is having trench warfare flashbacks after dealing with Bradley and then Gomez making him look foolish on the outside.
This was Quansah’s sixth start or something ridiculous, but watching him control the right side, while Bradley conquered Aké’s corner flag and Mac Allister controlled the game, was amazing. Not to just keep heaping praise on that right side, but they showed the heart and soul that permeates every team Jurgen Klopp puts out there. The kids, to put it simply, ran Manchester City to death. They looked exhausted. At about 75 minutes it was haze-inducing watching Manchester City, the conquerers of European soccer, work to slow down the game. Because, in the second half, the entire momentum went to Liverpool.
Haaland played like I play FIFA, which is to just run at the defense and hope the best. Because of VVD, he is not escaping the disappearing in big game allegations. As I said in the beginning, this is not the team anyone would want to put in front of Manchester City, especially in a possibly title-defining game. (Does anyone else find it hilarious we have all just forgotten Arsenal is also in this race).
I’ve also mentioned the power of friendship multiple times (it’s in the title), and what I mean by that is just the force of will by the players to go out there and absolutely play for Klopp. Klopp has a reputation for giving hugs. Not a reputation, it’s his thing. I’d like to imagine those countless hugs – on the training grounds, in the locker rooms, and after games – created this performance. Manchester City looked average, as Liverpool was plundered by the injury bug. The beauty of this team, of this game, is the passion every player brought onto the pitch. Especially that right side that no one believed in.
Liverpool should have won this game. I have no clue if Diaz was cursed by the same witch that cursed Darwin, but those three misses were genuinely annoying to watch. Diaz, like his father for three months, seems to have went missing in those moments. There is probably some higher power that would not allow the end of Klopp-Pep to end in anything but a draw. One of those higher forces was the PGMOL, because Doku delivered what can only be described as a Hulk Hogan-like big boot to Mac Allister. Even if Doku got to the ball .01 seconds before Mac Allister (he didn’t), are we now just cool with studs to the chest? Move that play a couple feet and it’s a free kick and a yellow card, with a red card check.
Unless the FA Cup Final is Liverpool and Manchester City, this is probably the last time we will see Klopp vs. Pep. And for all the hate I have given the bald fraud, this has been nothing but a beautiful coaching rivalry. Someone will tell me I’m wrong, but this is the best coaching rivalry I’ve seen in my lifetime, across any sport. I will miss the two times a year I can angrily tell myself Pep is actually an overthinking, money-using poor manager. When in reality, there was beauty in what we all got to witness. But, in this case, the power of friendship prevailed.
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