Pressing, and how effectively the sides counteract it, will play a big part at the end of a particularly tough week for City’s players
There is a very easy way to make good players look like world beaters: give them time and space. Liverpool and Manchester City are piled high with quality that can rip apart any opposition if allowed to play on their own terms, so it will be important for both sides to execute a perfect pressing game when they meet at Anfield on Sunday.
The match could be won by the work done off the ball. City showed how to do this against Chelsea, and Liverpool will be very careful not to fall into similar traps. City had 62% possession but their pressing efficiency was 10% greater than Chelsea’s. City disrupted their opponents’ plan to play out from the back thanks to the relentless nature of their attackers – something they will look to repeat at Anfield.
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