AFP, London
Manchester City’s dominant position at the top of the Premier League ahead of Sunday’s trip to champions Liverpool has been built on the solid foundations of an impenetrable defence.
Pep Guardiola’s men have conceded just two goals in their past 13 league games, winning nine in a row to open up a seven-point lead over fourth-placed Liverpool, with a game in hand.
Liverpool took City’s crown as champions last season, romping to a first league title in 30 years.
But the contrasting fortunes at centre-back for both clubs this season have helped City reassert their position as the team to beat in English football.
After a humbling 5-2 home defeat by Leicester in their second game of the season, City splashed out o62 million ($85 million) on Ruben Dias from Benfica. In 27 games, the Portuguese international has been on the losing side just once and has kept 18 clean sheets, forming a formidable partnership with a revitalised John Stones.
So strong has that pairing been that Aymeric Laporte — the bedrock of the City defence that denied Liverpool the title by a point in the 2018/19 season — has largely been left in reserve along with another o40 million summer centre-back signing, Nathan Ake. Despite injuries to Kevin De Bruyne and Sergio Aguero, City’s attacking play has begun to click into gear in recent weeks.
Even when new recruits were badly needed, the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic left Liverpool hunting for bargains in the final hours of the January transfer window, bringing in Ozan Kabak on loan from Schalke and signing Ben Davies from Preston. Since Van Dijk suffered cruciate ligament damage in October, Klopp’s men have only conceded 12 goals in 17 league games.
But the impact has been felt throughout the team as midfielders Fabinho and Jordan Henderson have been forced to deputise at centre-back.
Unbalanced by their injury crisis, it is Liverpool’s attack that has suffered in a run of two wins in eight games, which has allowed City to leave them behind.
However, in front of empty stands, Liverpool’s fortress has crumbled in recent weeks. After a 68-game unbeaten home run in the Premier League dating back nearly four years, they have lost consecutive matches at Anfield.
The champions have failed to score in nearly 350 minutes at home.That task will not get any easier on Sunday when they face the daunting task of finding a way past Dias at the heart of City’s backline.
