Guardiola laughed at himself for always inventing "stupid tactics", and against Liverpool, he once again made a brave choice to let Jesus start. His gamble paid off, with Jesus' goal giving City another lead.
Guardiola made three changes to the starting line-up compared to his game against Atletico, and one of the most surprising choices was to let Jesus start.
It's Jesus' first Premier League start for Manchester City since 1 January against Arsenal, why choose the Brazilian, Pep Guardiola explained, "He has speed and intensity, he's young, but experienced in games like this. He didn't play much, and we only played three days ago. ”
As Guardiola put it, Jesus has a wealth of experience against Liverpool, while he has delivered 10 assists in 31 appearances this season, making him the Most Assisted Manchester City player.
Sky Sports reporter Adam Bate believes that Jesus' appearance is the "winner and loser" used by Guardiola, "Guardiola always surprises us, will his efficiency and high pressure play a key role in the game? ”
City's first threatening attack of the campaign came from Jesus, whose cross from the right gave Sterling a good chance to push and shoot, but was wasted by his teammates.
In the 37th minute of the match, Canselo's diagonal pass from the right was met by Jesus, who tore through the opponent's offside trap and then shot forward. Neville commented, "He's been waiting, and his run behind Arnold is beautiful. He controlled the ball perfectly and hit the ball between the goal crossbar and Allison. Liverpool were asking for trouble, they pushed the defence too high. Keane criticized Arnold, "He was in the wrong position, and Jesus' shot was very beautiful." ”
In five home games against Liverpool, Jesus scored five goals. In the Premier League era, the only Manchester City player to score more goals against Liverpool was Aguero, with the Argentine scoring seven goals.
Sterling's goal exposed Klopp's tactical problems, while Alisson passed the ball at will, giving the opponent a chance to take a corner. Neville commented, "Since the equaliser, Liverpool have not bravely passed the ball to the midfielder. Since Jota scored, they haven't put Henderson or Thiago forward. They must be braver. ”