Manchester City went down to a 2-nil defeat to Liverpool at the Etihad Stadium today. Arne Slot’s side defended superbly and were ruthless up front which was the difference between the two teams. But for Pep Guardiola’s side, there were positives to take from today’s game, although they lost.
First of all, it has to be said that Liverpool had more quality up front, and they took advantage of Manchester City’s defensive frailties in the first half. Also, throughout the entire game, Pep Guardiola’s side lacked any real goal threat, with Erling Haaland missing today’s game due to injury. Those two factors separated the two teams, but there were plenty of promising signs for City’s future to come out of the game.
If you look at Manchester City as a team that is rebuilding, you could see some of the building blocks for City’s future. The performances of Nico and Abdukodir Khusanov were massive positives for Pep Guardiola and his team. Nico and Khusanov have now shown that they are key pieces of City’s future. Savinho and Jeremy Doku had their moments, but they lacked any real quality on the day. They only have to look at Mo Salah today to see the level that they have to get to.
Manchester City’s performance in possession and out of possession in the second half was more like a Pep Guardiola side. Although, Liverpool did have their moments on the break in the second half. City lacked any cutting edge against Liverpool’s strong and packed defence but Manchester City did show plenty. If you compare City’s performance to that of them at their peak you’ll be disappointed. They aren’t that side anymore. But for a rebuilding team, which they are, there were positives to take out of the game. Pep Guardiola’s side did pin Liverpool back but couldn’t create anything of substance. Add Erling Haaland to today’s line up and that should come.
Speaking with SkySports after his team’s defeat Pep Guardiola saw plenty to suggest that his team has a bright future. He said: “I saw many things that Manchester City has a bright future with the players that we have… What the club is going to decide in the next future, we have a bright future for the club in the next years.”
“Today was a really good performance” 💪
Pep Guardiola reacts to Manchester City’s defeat to Liverpool 🔊 pic.twitter.com/Zzh0uW7vnX
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) February 23, 2025
Pep Guardiola picked one of his youngest starting lineups today against Liverpool. Although his Manchester City side went down to a 2-nil defeat there were positives to take from the game from a Manchester City point of view. City aren’t the team they once were, that’s been known for some time. They are a rebuilding side who did provide a glimpse of where they could get to. There is still plenty that is needed to be done both on the pitch and off for City to challenge the top teams in England and Europe. But they showed today that they can match it with them. In a season where they have fallen from the lofty standards they have previously set today’s performance did show that they have the template to return to that perch in time.
