Guardiola pinpoints source of Liverpool slump; reveals pivotal City meeting Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has identified a key area of Liverpool’s play which has directly contributed to their slump in form. The Reds sat top of the Premier League on Christmas Day, but now face a battle to stay in the top four. Last season’s champions have only won two of their past 10 games, a run which includes five defeats. What’s more, three of those have come in succession, against Brighton, Man City and Leicester. But other than the last two weeks amid mistakes from Alisson Becker and Ozan Kabak, Jurgen Klopp’s defence has proved to be fairly stable. Indeed, it is up top where Liverpool have had most problems. While they have scored nine goals in their last 10, they have failed to score in five of those. As such, Guardiola has pinpointed such a lack of goals as a key issue in Liverpool’s form. “In the boxes they are not as clinical as they were before but the quality of their team is still there,” the manager told reporters (via the Daily Mirror) after his side’s 3-0 defeat of Tottenham. “As a spectator, I always enjoy watching Liverpool.” On the flipside, City began the season in a slump of their own. However, they have now stormed to the summit after 10 straight wins, conceding only two goals in that time. They began the campaign looking like the problems of last season had carried over. The 5-2 defeat to Leicester in September is one such result which showed their malaise. However, they have turned their season around, starting with the 1-0 win over Southampton on December 19. Guardiola has revealed how key results – the defeat to Tottenham and the 1-1 draw with West Brom on December 15 – proved to be the turning points in his side’s fortunes. Guardiola reveals crunch City staff talks “It was not specifically that [Spurs] game,” he told the Manchester Evening News. “It was after the game against West Bromwich. “We could have won, because we had two incredible chances at the end, but after that game, I felt this is not the team I recognise myself. I didn’t like what I watched. I didn’t like what I saw. “We talked with Juanma, with Rodo with Manel, with Txiki. “And we said we have to come back to our first principle and we started to reconstruct the team from that point – what we are as a team, our positional game, moved the ball quicker, do more passes, stay more in position, run less with the ball, do it together. “We don’t have a specific player to win games, so we had to do it together.” Meanwhile, Guardiola offered a stern reaction to one player’s performance in Saturday’s 3-0 win over Spurs. Read more… The post Guardiola pinpoints source of Liverpool slump; reveals pivotal City meeting appeared first on teamtalk.com.

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has identified a key area of Liverpool’s play which has directly contributed to their slump in form.

The Reds sat top of the Premier League on Christmas Day, but now face a battle to stay in the top four.

Last season’s champions have only won two of their past 10 games, a run which includes five defeats. What’s more, three of those have come in succession, against Brighton, Man City and Leicester.

But other than the last two weeks amid mistakes from Alisson Becker and Ozan Kabak, Jurgen Klopp’s defence has proved to be fairly stable.

Indeed, it is up top where Liverpool have had most problems. While they have scored nine goals in their last 10, they have failed to score in five of those.

As such, Guardiola has pinpointed such a lack of goals as a key issue in Liverpool’s form.

“In the boxes they are not as clinical as they were before but the quality of their team is still there,” the manager told reporters (via the Daily Mirror) after his side’s 3-0 defeat of Tottenham.

“As a spectator, I always enjoy watching Liverpool.”

On the flipside, City began the season in a slump of their own. However, they have now stormed to the summit after 10 straight wins, conceding only two goals in that time.

They began the campaign looking like the problems of last season had carried over. The 5-2 defeat to Leicester in September is one such result which showed their malaise.

However, they have turned their season around, starting with the 1-0 win over Southampton on December 19.

Guardiola has revealed how key results – the defeat to Tottenham and the 1-1 draw with West Brom on December 15 – proved to be the turning points in his side’s fortunes.

Guardiola reveals crunch City staff talks

“It was not specifically that [Spurs] game,” he told the Manchester Evening News. “It was after the game against West Bromwich.

“We could have won, because we had two incredible chances at the end, but after that game, I felt this is not the team I recognise myself. I didn’t like what I watched. I didn’t like what I saw.

“We talked with Juanma, with Rodo with Manel, with Txiki.

“And we said we have to come back to our first principle and we started to reconstruct the team from that point – what we are as a team, our positional game, moved the ball quicker, do more passes, stay more in position, run less with the ball, do it together.

“We don’t have a specific player to win games, so we had to do it together.”

Meanwhile, Guardiola offered a stern reaction to one player’s performance in Saturday’s 3-0 win over Spurs.

Read more…

The post Guardiola pinpoints source of Liverpool slump; reveals pivotal City meeting appeared first on teamtalk.com.

Jonny Whitfield