Thread by @babuyagu

This is my match thread for today 1/? 🧵

Thoughts on the lineup?

No big surprises. I thought Firmino might start.

Good to see Keita on the bench - that must be a nightmare for the injury conspiracy theorists.

Lets batter them! Come on you Redmen!

https://twitter.com/LFC/status/1444671083802734597

Also this will be the 3rd full 90 minutes in a week for Matip - assuming he completes the game. I can't remember the last time he did that. With the Int break it means he can rest before our next game mid-October.

#LIVMCI #LFC #EPL2021

I see a lot of people mentioning Grealish v Milner.

I would honestly be more worried if it was Sané. If it was Sane v Milner I'd be having a quiet little cry before kickoff. Or Gnabry. Anybody that has an insane amount of pace and the technical and tactical ability to hurt you

with it rather than run up blind alleys and into cul-de-sacs.

Grealish is a good player and good dribbler and he will cause problems but the biggest difference between Milner in Trent is in not having the pace and explosiveness to deal with certain players.

So when Trent is out I worry when I see someone with outrageous pace who is going to be able to get 5 yards away from him before Milner can recover.

Lots of games and we will see lots of rotation. Hendo and Jones will both be in and out of the team a lot I suspect even if they stay fit. But yeah - Jones has probably been our best midfielder if not best player in his 2 starts.

https://twitter.com/WalshieLFC/status/1444685237565460481

Wouldn't be a big game if Pep didn't much about with the XI to find a way to make any win about his tactical genius change before kickoff.

Virg teasing Joel about dribbling this week but he is so good at stepping out into the ball into any spaces. Pulled the midfield towards him, leaves Hendo in space who plays Salah in down the right. We get a corner out of it.

#LIVMCI #LFC #EPL2021

I liked that from Jones. Robbo tries to bomb forward looking for a 1-2 but his first pass was poor catching him ahead of the ball. City look to counter into that space but Jones has dropped into LB to cover. Then rotates with Robbo when he gets back and

#LIVMCI #LFC #EPL2021

steps out quickly to press the ball and give Grealish a bump to let him know he is there.

Salah now playing as the 9 with Mane left and Jota right.

When Man City get through the first line of the press Jota and Mane are dropping in to protect the fullbacks making it look more like a 451 when we are in a midblock.

That Henderson half-space ball continues to haunt us. It is invariably overhit or - as we saw there - too low and short making it easy to clear centrally and give them a counter through a midfield that has no Henderson - as he is on the right having played the ball.

Matip done well there to not dive in and slow the situation down to allow players to get back and support. Meant Grealish had to force the issue and he didn't seem willing to try and beat him instead opting for a shot which Joel blocked rather easily.

Ali... feet need to be better than that. Didn't seem to have the sun in his eyes either there.

We can't get caught 2v1 on short corners like that. But I love Hendo bursting out of the box to put pressure on the ball - it set the tone of how we would push out and Foden would have been off even if he had scored.

Jones has quite a few nearly moments where he has tried to escape a problem that would have put us in a great position and it hasn't come off. But you absolutely want him to keep doing that - the bravery and confidence pays off once and we are in.

Hendo on the other hand giving it away in the center circle ad giving City counter that they almost scored from. Although we should also have defended the situation better after he gave it away too.
#LIVMCI #LFC #EPL2021

Not sure Milner should challenge Foden there. He is dealing with a bouncing ball in his own box with his back to Milner and has no idea where he is. Jumping into him just gives him an easy out.

He just switched off again letting KDB in, thankfully he dragged his shot wide and there was nobody on the back post to capitalise.

We need to be better than this.

https://twitter.com/86seang/status/1444693019698024455

Dias booked for pulling down Jota.

Dias plays like a kid who has forgot his boots and is having to play in schoolshoes and his feet can't get any grip in the turf.

Robbo just changed the tone of the game. We've had a hard 5 minutes and looked a bit flat and he is injecting some urgency into what we do and the crowd responds too. #LIVMCI #LFC #EPL2021

Hendo beaten too easily again - thankfully nobody was making the run and nothing comes of it. If they had Sterling over Grealish there, he likely gets in behind us.

Come on Milly, Hendo was miles off. You need to be aware of that.

The fuck are you doing Milly?

He ends up far too narrow. Foden gets played in and he gives him a push in the back. Foden reacts late to it.

Could have been a pen or a red card easily there. Careful lad.

Diving header by KDB over the bar. Stems again from Hendo getting caught on the ball just after we win it back. He just doesn't seem quite on it today yet Hendo.

That is twice now in 2 attacks that we have played the ball to someone who looked miles offside.

You need runners in attack and you need to be aware when they are behind the line and coming back and not pass to them. You can't always stay onside as a runner.

Milner gets done diving in trying to cut out a pass he was never reaching. Thankfully Foden's ball can't be hit first time, Jesus needs to control and play in again, we group and clear.

We need to switch on.

Ugh. We win it back well through Milly. Finds Hendo behind their first line who rushes a pass to Mane who is trying to set off on a run. Ball puts him into trouble and we lose it. So unneccessary. Hendo just needs a second of composure there and we are in behind them.

https://twitter.com/p____m____b/status/1444697097064882181

Can't keep the ball at all and only seem able to play out from the back when Matip does something unpredictable.

Ref, if that is a dive by Jesus, book him. If it is a foul, give a foul.

You can't watch a player throw themselves to the ground and avoid a call.

Milly's customary booking as he brings down Foden.

Bobby has to come on half time. Maybe needs a change in midfield too. They are playing through us at ease now and we have no structure to play out.

Watch Milly from that long ball from Ederson and it just takes him FAR too long to turn. Instead of staying side on his first motion is to turn out towards Ederson so he is square, then turn right, then start running.

We need a change there and also have a midfield problem.

Curious to see how we solve this at half-time. Our analysts have a lot of coin to earn here because we are lucky to still be in this game. Foden was killing us those final 15 minutes.

https://twitter.com/SquintFeastwood/status/1444699102277771268

The running thread in all the replies I am seeing is that Hendo has been poor all season and yet this is by far his worst 45 in a long time.

He has been caught on the ball and both times resulted in good City chances. And that isn't the only way he is

hurting us. He is losing KDB all too often, Fabinho struggling to full the spaces when he moves up the pitch leaving space behind him. Milner struggling to deal with Foden and probably needs to come off.

https://twitter.com/livingmonolith/status/1444702340896878592

This is the interesting thing for me. I'd have no problem with a left footer at right back in JUST this game where it is about defence more.

Surprised there are no changes half time.

Think minimum Firmino should have come on.

https://twitter.com/chrischidley_/status/1444698741823266817

My concern here is whether we get outnumbered in midfield. Although it forces Hendo into being a 6 rather than an absent 8.

Ahhh Jota, wrong choice there mate.

https://twitter.com/dlharrell/status/1444698785188352004

I have no idea how anybody looks at Fabinho and thinks he can play right back for us.

To this day is is a mystery to me. Is it just because he played a few games there for Brazil in a much slower, lower level game that they didn't see?

Jota with a sharp turn and quick shot on his left, Dias sliding all over the place as usual and gets nowhere near him. Ederson saves low down - fortunate it was very central shot.

https://twitter.com/AmanShah21/status/1444699311695007746

https://twitter.com/DragonOffside/status/1444704387310424068

If you look at every single moment in this match where Milner has been in trouble - simply ask yourself 'would Fabinho have been better in that situation?'.

No... you are literally playing to his weaknesses and taking away his strengths.

https://twitter.com/SquintFeastwood/status/1444699102277771268

Need to watch it back but yeah we lost our momentum around that part of the match - had a spell where we couldn't control a ball for 5 mins and have looked out of sorts ever since

I loved the absolute confidence Mane had that he could shield that ball and roll Rodri. He just knew

Jota running at City defence, they look scared, plays in Salah. He tries to play the ball around Cancelo and go around him, they collide. He goes down. You aren't getting that Mo

MANEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

And he celebrates with the man he hates most in the world - the man who created the goal - the man who is too selfish and never passes to Mane. Mo Salah. What a run Mo!

I mentioned at half-time our analysts would earn their coin and they have.

We tend to focus on subs to change the game but you can solve problems in many ways and we have here without a change.

I still don't want Milly at RB on a booking mind.

Dias not coping with Mané again, he almost gets in behind. Ederson comes out.

Just rewatching the goal. What a run by Mane. Completely lost both CBs.

Robbo is at Barca-Anfield levels of Irn Bru right now. Looks so focused, so fired up.

That corner routine from us.... it was just terrible. I don't even know what it would have been it it came off. It looked like we changed the angle to a really bad one to play it in right footed from the left bending towards the keeper favouring him and maybe catching us offside.

Jota booked.

Sterling on for Grealish. Didn't really have any impact on the game for me. Foden, KDB and Bernardo were the three first half that were worryign me.

The lengths Guardiola will go to just to avoid playing Jesus through the middle so nobody can say 'he DOES have a striker' is fantastic.

He'll be playing left back for City before playing as a 9

Foden scores.

And it comes from him getting in behind Milner again.

Why does Milner keep coming so narrow.

Good finish from that angle has to be said.

Bobby on for Jota btw.

Think we have played too many straight long balls at Mane today. He's got a great leap but you need to give him an angle to work with so he can run onto it.

Milly should get a 2nd yellow there to be fair. I'd have Williams on here.

Wouldn't be Man City at Anfield if Guardiola didn't completely lose his head if anything goes against him.

SALAH IS THE BEST IN THE WORLD!

BITE ME!

2-1

He was brilliant on the first but the second he gets out of a group of 3 City players, beats a 4th and puts it past Ederson.

Reminded me a bit of that Spurs goal in the 2-2 game

Hey Pep, how many times has Mo destroyed your team today?

Gomez on for Milly. Suspect he barely crosses the half way line and this looks more like a RCB than a RB for us

2-2

KDB edge of the box.

Seriously though... I hate the midfield vacating zone 14 when the ball is wide. Jones has to fill that space. Hard when Robbo tracked a runner into the box though.

Aghh Matip deflects past Ali - he was saving it too.

Ohhh Fabinho needed to get that shot off Jota-fast there.

Ederson misses the ball. Falls to Fabinho, Rodri slides in to block the shot to stop Fabinho putting into an open net.

That straight ball from Virg again straight to Ederson.

I don't remember Virg playing straight balls like that before. Weird for him to randomly start that now. Must be something we noticed and worked on but aren't quite executing as planned?

Ref how is that not a foul on Sadio? Book Rodri FFS. Literally just took him out and got away with it.

Almost concede from Hendo losing it and our whole midfield is caught ahead of the ball.

Thankfully the shot hits Robbo

Now Fabinho does the same overrunning the ball.

Virg cuts out the pass this time.

Midfield needs to chill

Mo tracking a runner all the way back into the RB position in the 93rd minute. Seriously... how many world class forwards do that?

Finishes 2-2

Definitely taking that after the first half. Impressed with how we regrouped in this game at half time when we looked in trouble.

Mo the star man.