Liverpool vs Man City: Guardiola lynchpin makes EMBARRASSING admission about squad

The upcoming top of the table clash against Manchester City is already one of Liverpool’s most highly anticipated games of recent years.

Due to City’s rocky form of late - winless in six games in all competitions - Reds all over the world are eyeing it up as a chance to write the wrongs of the seasons Jurgen Klopp’s men should have won the Premier League but were beaten by Pep Guardiola’s untouchable City sides.

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And whilst this is well and truly Arne Slot’s Liverpool now, one thing that has certainly carried over from the Klopp era is that of the team being ‘mentality monsters’.

And, if City defender Nathan Ake is to be believed, his side couldn’t be any different.

Speaking to Amazon Prime Video Sport after their draw against Feyenoord in midweek, which they drew 3-3 despite being 3-0 up on the 74th minute, Ake said,

“You just have to stay strong mentally. At 3-1, they then push on but I think we need to go for it a bit earlier so we could keep the pressure on them, but we stayed playing at the back and maybe invited more pressure on us.

“Then when you concede the second one there is even more pressure and then we have to stay stronger mentally.”

Ake was then asked if mentality was a reason for City’s horrendous form, to which he replied, “Maybe it is. It is difficult to say. Obviously we have not been in this situation many times but this is where we have to show our character.

“When everything seems to go against us and everyone is writing us off, we have to stay strong mentally, believe in ourselves and stick together.”

How Liverpool can exploit Manchester City

If you’re suffering from a knock in confidence and declaring that you need to believe in yourselves, then you probably don’t want to be playing the best team in the world, in a notoriously Colosseum-like stadium, with a set of players who were outsprinting Real Madrid even as it got to the 90th minute.

Under Jurgen Klopp, Liverpool were notorious for feasting on teams with weak mentalities. Arne Slot’s men have proven the exact same thing - the demolition of Real Madrid not four days ago was the perfect example.

As a result, this is the way Liverpool win this game. Much like Slot’s former Feyenoord did on Tuesday night, with a barrage of runners and a fearless play on City’s deer-in-headlights indecision.

Trent Alexander-Arnold whipping balls over the top of their high line. Alexis Mac Allister pressing them back to Maine Road. Mo Salah running at Josko Gvardiol, giving him Ben Doak flashbacks.

And Anfield needs to be like a cauldron. But we have no doubt about that happening.

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