On April 11, Beijing time, the Battle of Tianwangshan in the Premier League, Manchester City drew 2-2 with Liverpool, and the championship continued to remain suspenseful. Guardiola and Klopp, two famous coaches, do not win or lose, but also have the opportunity to win, it can be said that it is very exciting, worthy of the top duel in today's football.
[Guardiola plays a new trick, Tintin becomes the key to Manchester City's breaker]
Judging from the starting lineup, both Guardiola and Klopp seem to have their usual 433s, but the tactical masters are starting to do things again: Manchester City's formation is actually 4231, or 442!
The key change lies in the midfield. Liverpool's high pressing formed a 24 posture, and as a response, B-seat deep retreat, and Rodri formed a double back, playing their own technology and passing ability, coupled with goalkeeper Ederson and two centre-backs, Manchester City had five points in the middle of the field.
De Bruyne, playing in the front or forward, is buried behind Liverpool's three midfielders, in front of the back line, the so-called "between the two lines", once the ball from the backfield can be passed to him, he can play a quick counterattack.
As a result, in the opening 5 minutes, De Bruyne counter-attacked with the ball from the back, sent a direct plug, Jesus crossed, but Sterling's one-handed shot was saved by Alisson.
[Breaking the rush + pressing, Manchester City will play behind Liverpool]
Another way to crack the pressing is to directly hit the opposing line with a long pass, especially behind Liverpool right-back Alexander-Arnold. In the 29th minute, Laporte's long pass from the back, Canselo's cross from the left side of the penalty area, De Bruyne turned and shot, the ball brushed slightly off the near post.
In the 35th minute, the attack was the same: the B seat was also a long pass from the back to find the left side, Cancello cut inside on the left side, and the right foot shot hit the side net.
Of course, it is not only Liverpool who are good at high pressing, but also Manchester City. Still in the 5th minute, Walker was fouled for actively grabbing the ball in front of him, B-seater served a free kick quickly, de Bruyne's left-footed long-range shot into the net, and Manchester City took a 1-0 lead!
In the 37th minute, De Bruyne's corner kick was cleared, Canselo's diagonal pass, Jesus' back-post shot was scored, and Manchester City scored the second goal, so how did this corner kick come about? Alisson's backfield shot was cut off by Jesus, Tintin's cross and Matip's clearance.
[Liverpool's most powerful move: the combination of side and middle defense is invincible]
In addition to Ederson's own play with fire, Liverpool's high pressing did not work, but they also have a big move, that is, the combination of sides and middle.
In the 13th minute, Thiago shifted the ball from the left to the right at the back, Arnold crossed from the right to Salah in the middle, the Manchester City player broke the line, Robertson inserted a left rib cross, Arnold had already killed the back point at this time, the two wings were directly connected, Jota broke the goal, the first equalizer.
In the 46th minute of the second half, Liverpool attacked from the right, Alexander-Arnold's direct pass, Salah's diagonal thrust into the middle, and Mane inserted a push to break the goal, equalizing for the second time.
[Both teams have a good chance to win, Andrwat's substitution is almost killed]
After the draw, City remained behind Liverpool. In the 63rd minute, Stones kicked a direct pass from the back, De Bruyne then directly blocked, Sterling single-handedly pushed the goal, but unfortunately offside, the goal is invalid, otherwise it will lead for the third time!
In the 72nd minute, City broke the ball in front of him, De Bruyne went straight in, and Jesus shot from a tight angle into the side-netting.
In particular, after Mahrez came off the bench, he was given two chances to kill. The first time was a free-kick that hit the upright, and the second time was when De Bruyne counter-attacked a wonderful pass, and the pick shot was actually high! But if you grasp it once, Manchester City wins.
Liverpool also have a chance to win, still on the flanks. In the 52nd minute, the combination was the same as the second goal: Alexander-Arnold's direct cross from the right was directly in front of Salah, who crossed from the outside of his left foot, and Jota's follow-up shovel was confiscated by Ederson.
In the 72nd minute, it was still a shift from the wing-centre-side, substitute Díaz crossed from the left, Mane split the ball in the middle, and Salah's left-footed shot from the right was blocked off the line.
All in all, the game was extremely exciting, definitely feasting on the fans, and the showdown between Guardiola and Klopp was also evenly divided, worthy of being the best manager in football today. Judging from the expected number of goals, both teams are 1.2, and the 2-2 score is also reasonable.