MyAfter the final whistle of the Premier League top match between Liverpool FC and Manchester City on Sunday evening, city coach Pep Cardiola and Liverpool veteran professional James Milner engaged in a friendly chat on the sidewalk of Anfield Stadium. Why not: The game ended 2-2, and both sides can live to the end after a thrilling and high-quality fight.
But a few minutes ago, Cardiola Milner personally wanted to grab the collar and pull it off the field. Because Liverpool should have seen the yellow-red card after a mistake, but were allowed to continue playing – to Cardiola’s annoyance, he was warned by the referee for his nagging.
Milner, one of the most experienced players on the Jrgen Klopp squad at the age of 35, replaced the injured Trent Alexander-Arnold on the right defensive side against City. His real position is central or defensive midfield, but he also helped Liverpool to a 3-0 win over Crystal Palace and a 5-1 win over Porto in the Champions League.
Milner like a zombie movie
Milner is in excellent form even at the age of a great professional and advanced footballer, but he reached his limit against City’s 21-year-old left-hander Bill Foden. Foten was always dangerous, scoring 1: 1, scoring 2: 2 – and would have provided more templates if his team had handled his passes better or if Cardiola had called a real center forward. Again and again he slipped away from Milner and was forced to make a series of mistakes. The exit would have been justified after he abused Bernardo Silva a quarter of an hour before the end of the game.
The BBC explained Milner’s sober smile in an interview with Cardiola as the “terrible test” he had to endure against Foten ended. Milner tried several times to add the fast photon to the advertising team, but often failed, the Guardian wrote – and even a zombie picture of Milner was recalled: “Clumsy gait, outstretched arms, helpless to catch a young victim. “
Klopp compares Salah to Messi
This comparison does not do justice to Milner, who at 35 is making his contribution to the team’s success. “Millie” did his job well, and Globe defended him after the game: “It’s not easy to defend against them.” But the truth is that if Alexander-Arnold were on the team there would not be enough replacements for him. Now Liverpool have been plagued by injuries to center-back Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez last season.
Especially in the first half, Liverpool missed the game at home. Globe said the fans created a great atmosphere from the start, but the team only offered them a “cold fry”. Things went better in the second half because Mohamed Salah is in better shape now. He prepared his goal for Sadio Mane 1-0, beating the Egyptians 2-1 himself: in City’s penalty area, he pushed two or three physical frustrations and half the defense into the void with skill. Handle the ball and shoot the ball into the long corner of the goal from a sharp angle.
Globe compared the striker to Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi: “Only the best players in the world can score such goals.” Salah will go down in history in Liverpool. “People will talk about this gate for a long time. In 50 or 60 years, they will remember it.”
Klopp admitted he was satisfied with the point, due to his team’s weak performance in the first half. Cardiola did not seem dissatisfied, though more in his view; Above all, he praised the character of his players who created a two-time deficit at the roaring Anfield. However, the coach must have been more annoyed by Milner’s mistakes, especially by the chances his team didn’t use in the first half. Because of the draw between Liverpool and Manchester City: Chelsea FC are leading the table after seven games.