From the invincibles to the invisibles: City should be ashamed and Pep Guardiola must address the team's aging
“Fired in the morning, you will be fired in the morning.”
Liverpool The fans love to sing a good song and they belted out this old football classic towards pep guardiola.
The Manchester City manager he took it well, smiling and holding up six fingers to indicate the number of Premier League titles he had won.
Liverpool fans applauded him and some shouted thanks for reminding them of the number of Champions Leagues they have won. Liverpool even won that trade.
Guardiola put on a brave face as he walked away but must be furious at the way experienced internationals have become shadows of their former selves.
From the Invincibles to the Invisibles, from the champions to a team fighting for a place in the Champions League, City They are fifth and plagued with doubts.
This is Guardiola's biggest challenge: reviving City.
Time has caught up with some like Kyle Walker, Ilkay Gundogan and Bernardo Silva. A relentless workload has temporarily exhausted others like Phil Foden.
The city needs new blood, new energy. The winds of change may only be felt positively through an open transfer window and Guardiola's coaching and man-management.
Many of his players seem trapped in quicksand and he is struggling to get them out.
City were not defeated by moments of sublime skill. They were defeated in the application of the basics. Liverpool wanted the ball more. They wanted victory more. And that should embarrass City.
Yes, they are missing Rodri, their most important player, but they have a lot of talent, many serial title winners, but all underachievers, except for honorable exceptions like Nathan Ake, Ruben Dias and Rico Lewis.
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Arne Slot's players won the ball again and again because they were faster and hungrier than Guardiola's players.
They were more confident and should have won by much more than Cody Gakpo's tap-in and Mohamed Salah's last-minute penalty.
They won their duels, especially Virgil van Dijk by subduing Erling Haaland, and Trent Alexander-Arnold by taking the ball away from the anonymous Matheus Nunes.
Nunes made an important interception and ran back to frustrate Gakpo, but otherwise didn't seem to understand the depth of City's plight. City now needs more fighters than players.
Ryan Gravenberch returned to occupy the center of the field, destroying Guardiola's tactics.
The City manager ordered Manuel Akanji to move into midfield and Foden to drop back, giving support to Silva, Lewis and Gundogan against Liverpool's outstanding trio of Gravenberch, Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister.
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Gravenberch used the opening whistle as a trigger to take control, a heavyweight against City's light midfield.
He set the tone in the first minute by pressuring Gundogan and winning the ball.
Gravenberch and Gakpo have become better players thanks to Slot's training.
His players look like confident climbers scaling a peak, while Guardiola's players fall, exhausted by their efforts over the last four triumphant seasons.
If this game highlighted why Liverpool are increasingly favorites for the title, it also showed why their owners, Fenway Sports Group, have to seal a deal to keep Salah.
If it is the duration of the contract, let it be two years plus a third based on performance.
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FSG loves numbers and Salah added up here with his eleventh assist and thirteenth goal of the season.
Nathan Ake put in a fine performance at left-back, earning praise from Guardiola afterwards, but not even the mobile Dutchman could cope when Alexander-Arnold drilled one of his 50-yard specials to release Salah after 12 minutes.
The Egyptian crossed for Gakpo to score from close range at the far post. Where was Kyle Walker? Incorrect zip code.
The city was shaken and tattered. Nunes was booked for fouling Alexander-Arnold. Foden followed him into the book to push Gravenberch back.
Gundogan was a picture of frustration, losing control and fouling Mac Allister.
Silva, Walker and Lewis had the temerity to leave at half-time, debating decisions with the referees. They should have saved their breath to take out some of their teammates like Nunes.
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City tried to improve their game and Jeremy Doku arrived to give some energy on the left.
But it was one of those moments where City needed Julián Álvarez to keep charging, providing a goal threat through the middle, but of course he was already sold.
Slot was able to send in Darwin Núñez, who caused chaos with his constant running and pressing, dragging the City defense all over the place.
Liverpool had plenty of contenders for man of the match in Van Dijk, Gravenberch, Gakpo and Andrew Robertson, who has fallen short of his high standards at times this season, but was fantastic here.
Luis Diaz put in a performance of sustained resilience, causing pain for Walker and winning a penalty when Stefan Ortega flew out and took him out.
Salah sent the penalty low and hard to the goalkeeper with 12 minutes remaining.
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The game was over. Only now Guardiola sent Kevin De Bruyne. Too late.
De Bruyne almost scored, taking advantage of a rare mistake by Van Dijk, but was denied by Caoimhin Kelleher.
And shouldn't the Irishman keep his place ahead of Alisson? Kelleher has not made any mistakes.
Once again, this was another contrast to City. Guardiola removed Ederson, but his replacement, Ortega, is good, but not to Kelleher's level. None of City's players were at Liverpool's level.
What will alarm Guardiola most is how they have fallen from their own stellar levels of recent years and seem unable to reverse it.
Guardiola won't be sacked in the morning, but he should be stuck among his underperforming players in the morning.
