Liverpool will be heartened by the news that ManchesterCity skipper Vincent Kompany is set to miss today’s clash at the Etihad. That adds to the Sky Blues woes as key midfielder Yaya Toure is away at the African Cup of Nations.
Of course, Roberto Mancini can still call upon David Silva, Samir Nasri and James Milner to support the forward options of Carlos Tevez, Sergio Aguero and Edin Dzeko.
And City have dominated possession this season, with an average of 59 per cent – the highest in the league just ahead of Liverpool – but have scored a significant proportion of their goals from set pieces or penalties.
25 goals have come from open play, while 12 have come from set pieces and another four from the spot. As it stands, their rate from open play is one of the lowest among the Top Ten teams, below Liverpool and far below Manchester United.
Overlap
Much of this has to do with a lack of width. Mancini may have Scott Sinclair on his books – having sold Adam Johnson in the summer – but he has been loath to use him, preferring David Silva and Samir Nasri. But the attacking midfield duo are not natural widemen and are inclined to seek space inside where it is easier to defend against.
The onus should then be on the full backs to provide outlets on the overlap. However right-back Maicon has had injury problems, Micah Richards is not expected to return before March and the left-sided Aleksander Kolarov has played second fiddle to Gael Clichy.
The Frenchman and the improving Pablo Zabaleta have been the first choice full-backs for City but they have struggled creatively.
Glen Johnson has attempted 29 shots this season and while his accuracy rate is erratic, Zabaleta and Clichy only have a combined total of 14.
While their cross completion rate is on a par with Johnson – or superior in the Argentine’s case – they have created far less chances per game than the England right-back.
Johnson has created 1.4 chances per game from his defensive berth, whereas Clichy and Zabaleta have only created 0.7 each per match.
Consequently Johnson has more assists (3) than the ManCity duo put together.
City have spent more time in the opposition half than any other team in the Premier League this season at 32 per cent but with their full-backs not lightening the load, it is an area that Liverpool can exploit with the right personnel and tactics. Against Arsenal Liverpool tended to look shaky whenever widemen Lukas Podolski or Theo Walcott got beyond the full-back but assuming that Nasri and Silva start for City, that will not be as much of a threat today.
