Officials at the Etihad Stadium are reportedly ready to open conversations with mainstay central defensive option John Stones over a new contract.

Grealish will remain sidelined for Sunday’s match confirmed Guardiola during his press conference at the City Football Academy on Friday afternoon, with both Doku and Nunes to be assessed on Saturday.

VS

Premier League, Anfield, Sun 10 March 2024

Ederson, Walker ©, Stones, Akanji, Ake, Rodrigo, De Bruyne, Bernardo, Alvarez, Foden, Haaland.

Player Ratings

Ederson – 6

The goalkeeper played a role in the giving away the penalty that allowed Liverpool avenue back into the match, and was eventually subbed off through injury.

Kyle Walker – 6

Walker was extra chaotic at Anfield, as were most of the City players.

John Stones – 8 (MOTM)

Stones scored the goal and was superb when stepping into midfield from defence.

Manuel Akanji – 7

Didn’t really put a foot wrong.

Nathan Ake – 6

Was quiet and dealt with Liverpool’s pace well up until his back-pass lead to City conceding a penalty.

Rodri – 7

A typical showing from Rodri.

Julian Alvarez – 5

Was arguably the worst player on the pitch for both sides. It’s becoming clear that he is not a press-resistant player like the other attacking players in the City squad.

Bernardo Silva – 6

Had his usual moments of magic but seemed far more emotional than we are used to.

Phil Foden – 7

Foden was City’s best attacker and probably should have had one or two goals of his own. Some better finishing would have seen him finish with a higher rating.

Kevin De Bruyne – 6

Arguably his worst performance since returning from injury.

Erling Haaland – 6

Barely involved.

Substitutes
Stefan Ortega Moreno – 7

Came in to replace Ederson and did quite well.

Mateo Kovacic – 7

Helped City regain some control alongside Rodri.

Jeremy Doku – 7

Created a couple of chances against tired legs and was unlucky not to score.

Player Ratings

Ederson: Dealt a poor hand by Ake for the penalty but still could have done better and forced off with the injury he suffered giving the spot kick away. Good distribution before that. 6

Walker: Stayed on the right side of Michael Oliver's officiating with some important tackles and used his pace well, although not great in the final third. 6

Akanji: Picked ahead of Ruben Dias and played really well, with some superb passes up the field and awareness to always leave a pass on. 7

Stones: Grabbed an important goal and stepped forward alongside Rodri, even if the pair weren't always in agreement. 7

Ake: Given some issues by Bradley and Elliott, and then a hospital pass for Ederson to give away the penalty. Did better against Salah. 6

Rodri: Not as controlled or precise as we are used to seeing as City saw their hold over the game slip away from them. 6

De Bruyne: Spurned a few early chances and, despite the assist, wasn't able to find the right pass on too many occasions. 6

Silva: A terrific first half that saw him dictating play and orchestrating for City, only to lose his temper in the second half and start making rash calls. 7

Alvarez: Gave Haaland an important outlet on the left with pace for counters, although didn't do enough with the ball. 5

Foden: Liverpool looked nervous whenever he ran at them, but faded out of the game before coming back in after the substitutions. 7

Haaland: Did not have many sniffs at goal yet still worked hard to cause problems, keeping Van Dijk occupied. 7

Substitutes
Ortega (for Ederson, 56) Did make a number of good saves. 7

Doku (for Alvarez, 69) Some nice moves in his best display for a while. 7

Kovacic (for De Bruyne, 69) Helped to settle City and keep Liverpool at bay. 7

Player Ratings

GK: Ederson - 4/10 - Certainly wasn't helped by Ake, but Ederson's challenge on Darwin was reckless and he was forced off soon after.

RB: Kyle Walker - 6/10 - Was keen to set the tone in the opening exchanges with a couple of strong tackles. Recovery pace did wonders, but struggled one-v-one against Diaz.

CB: Manuel Akanji - 7/10 - Felt quite isolated in the backline at times, but his recovery pace did come in handy against Nunez.

CB: John Stones - 8/10 - It's just silly what this bloke is doing in his hybrid function. After scoring and starring in the first half, it was tougher for Stones to have an influence after the restart.

LB: Nathan Ake - 5/10 - Terrible backpass set the tone for a tough City second half. Performed well otherwise, but his error was costly.

CM: Rodri - 6/10 - So often the man who steps up on the big occasion, but this was not a vintage Rodri showing despite his occasional sequence of subtle magic.

RM: Phil Foden - 7/10 - Majestic in the first half as he constantly unlocked the visitors in transition. Quieter in the second half as Liverpool dominated.

AM: Bernardo Silva - 4/10 - Bernardo has dazzled at Anfield in the past, but this was a performance that contrasted his usual serenity. Lost his head at the start of the second half.

AM: Kevin De Bruyne - 6/10 - Produced a genius cross for the opener and always looked a threat for his withdrawal. Was perhaps a little more wasteful than usual in the final third with his decision-making poor early on.

LM: Julian Alvarez - 5/10 - Started brightly, but was not a natural fit down the touchline. Lost his assignment several times defensively.

ST: Erling Haaland - 6/10 - There was no Anfield takeover for Haaland on Sunday. The City hitman was denied by Van Dijk once or twice and certainly left frustrated by his side's performance after half-time. Thought his link-up play was pretty good.

Substitutes
SUB: Stefan Ortega (55' for Ederson) - 6/10

SUB: Mateo Kovacic (69' for De Bruyne) - 6/10

SUB: Jeremy Doku (69' for Alvarez) - 6/10

Manager: Pep Guardiola - 5/10 - After starting so brightly, City faded pretty quickly at Anfield. They were almost too casual, allowing the game to drift after taking the lead. Guardiola could do little to stop Liverpool's second half momentum, and his changes did come at a cost.

This post has been edited by kjs86: Mar 11 2024, 03:29 AM

Player Ratings

Ederson - 5

Reckless decision to attempt to beat Nunez for the penalty. Had been a composed afternoon until then.

Kyle Walker - 6

Pumped up performance by the City captain. Played right on the edge, sometimes to his detriment.

John Stones – 7.5

Cool when moving between centre half and midfield. Clever opening goal from a well-worked corner.

Manuel Akanji – 7.5

Picked over Ruben Dias for his speed and that looked a decent decision. Unruffled despite the chaos.

Nathan Ake - 5

Usually a steady Eddie at left back but left Ederson well short as Nunez nipped in to win a penalty.

Rodri – 6.5

Leggy – and that’s not often levelled at the Spaniard. Some hairy moments mixed with real poise too.

Phil Foden – 7

Had the fixture in his hands without being able to quite finish it off. Felt the most dangerous in blue.

Kevin De Bruyne – 6.5

Moment of genius for the Stones goal. Pass completion (64 per cent) was one of the worst of his league career.

Bernardo Silva – 7.5

Easily the best player on the park in the first half. Faded as City did after that and latterly moved out wide.

Julian Alvarez – 5

In the team for his work off the ball. Didn’t use possession well enough and became a liability.

Erling Haaland – 7

Did a decent job of linking play when City had players up with him. Very few clear sights of goal.

Subs
Stefen Ortega (for Ederson, 56) - 7

Mateo Kovacic (for De Bruyne, 69) – 6.5

Jeremy Doku (for Alvarez, 69) – 6

Manager - Pep Guardiola – 7

Bold changes from the bench to alter the game’s direction. Set-piece routine straight off the training ground too.

This post has been edited by kjs86: Mar 11 2024, 03:33 AM

Guardiola explained to Sky Sports why Dias was unfortunate to miss against the Reds this afternoon.

"Having travelled three-to-four central defenders, I decided for Manu [Manuel Akanji] with his speed - he is facing one of the fastest players [Darwin Nunez]," explained the City boss.

Guardiola made a double substitution to replace Kevin De Bruyne and Julian Alvarez with Jeremy Doku and Mateo Kovacic. De Bruyne in particular was furious to come off and exchanged words with Guardiola and his coaches on the touchline before the manager later went over to have another chat with him.

"Now he's happy. No problem," said Guardiola. "I like it. If he's upset, it's good.

"I made the decision because I knew what we were missing and we missed keeping the ball and we could not have it with him and [Bernardo Silva] and John [Stones], and after we did it better. What can I say for Kevin? We need it and we need him and it's really important.

"It's a difficult place to come and he tried and in the first half he was incredibly involved in all the transitions and the shots and the corner. We know it. The moment I had in the second half after conceding the goal the game was not in our hands and I wanted to make something that could give the game back to us a little bit. This was the idea, no more than that."

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has praised the impact of substitute Mateo Kovacic following the 1-1 draw against Liverpool at Anfield.

“We gave away the penalty and then after that for 15-20 minutes in this stadium, it was like a tsunami. But then Mateo (Kovacic) came on and we started to play and keep the ball, which we didn’t before.”

50:50. They got new but strong player Bellingham

Ortega; Walker, Dias, Akanji, Gvardiol; Rodri, Kovacic, Foden; Bernardo, Haaland, Doku.

Stefan Ortega – 7

Made a questionable pass out or two, but proved his worth with a first-half stop to deny Isak.

Kyle Walker – 7

An adventurous showing with plenty of overlapping, although the quality of his crossing could have been a little better. Not much defending to do.

Ruben Dias – 7.5

Displayed his bravery to lure in the Newcastle press then break the lines with a drive or a pass.

Manuel Akanji – 8

A man in form at the back, and he was masterful once again to snaffle every bouncing ball and effectively shut down Isak.

Josko Gvardiol – 7

Like Walker, he was never afraid to raid down the wing, picking out a series of nice incisive passes.

Rodri – 8

Aside from instance of being count on a counter-attack, it was another dominant midfield performance. His ability to pick up second balls is uncanny.

Mateo Kovacic – 8.5

Brilliant. Defensive work, close control, pinpoint passing, driving runs, the lot from the Croatian.

Bernardo Silva – 8.5 (MOTM)

Got those strokes of luck that his two goals were diverted in via deflections, but got through enough hard work and mastery of the ball to earn his fortune.

Phil Foden – 8

Revelled his return to the central role, showing off his full array of turns and flicks in the half-spaces.

Jeremy Doku – 7.5

Much like what we’ve seen from Doku throughout this season; at times outrageously quick feet to terrorise his opponents, but without that killer end product to wrap it up. He was the tormentor-in-chief in the opening period though.

Erling Haaland – 7.5

An unusual one from him; involved and impressive in the passing play and buildup, but nothing fell his way in front of goal.

Substitutes:
Oscar Bobb – 6.5

A few decent drives with the ball.

Julian Alvarez – N/A

Ortega: Excellent save in the first half to keep the score at 2-0, although nearly played himself into trouble a few times. 7

Walker: Needed his pace to get him out of jail a few times, but did use it well. Couldn't make inroads on the right wing. 7

Akanji: The best City player for the second game in a row, marshalling the defence and making important tackles and interceptions throughout. 8

Dias: Back in the team and assured all over the pitch, even when finding himself with the ball at his feet near the Newcastle box. 7

Gvardiol: Gordon could have given him problems so it is to his credit that he kept him quiet and also pushed up to help the attack. 7

Rodri: An assist for Silva and his ability to spot key passes was only bettered by his engine as he looks like running all the way to June. 7

Kovacic: Another very good display, carrying the ball from defence to attack and working well with Rodri. 8

Silva: Two goals thanks to two deflections but encouraging that he was willing to take the hits in the first place. 8

.Foden: Some wonderful flicks that nearly brought goals or assists, buzzing around the final third waiting to pounce. 7

Doku: Picked up where he left off at Anfield (without the high kicks in the box), causing Newcastle's defenders all kinds of troubles. Faded as the game went on. 7
.
Haaland: Endured a lot of physical battles with the centre-backs, although never really looked like scoring. 6

Substitutes

Bobb (for Doku, 77): Some nice touches and good defensively. 7

Alvarez (for Haaland, 87): No time

This post has been edited by kjs86: Mar 17 2024, 04:35 AM

GK: Stefan Ortega - 6/10 - Largely a bystander but did have to make a smart save to deny Isak in the first half.

RB: Kyle Walker - 6/10 - Had very little defending to do and was instead focused on attacking, where his misplaced crosses left fans frustrated.

CB: Manuel Akanji - 8/10 - Made his defending look so simple. Enjoyed plenty of freedom to play with the ball at his feet and pulled off some delightful passes.

CB: Ruben Dias - 7/10 - Made things look simple at the back and even got plenty of opportunities to get forward.

LB: Josko Gvardiol - 8/10 - Probably his best game in a City shirt. Great passing and really impactful pressing to ensure his side remained on top.

DM: Rodri - 8/10 - Typically dominant at the base of City's midfield and even bagged the assist for Silva's opener.

DM: Mateo Kovacic - 8/10 - Did all the hard work around Rodri. Happy to buzz around in defence but was really involved in the final third, always looking to feed his forwards.

RM: Phil Foden - 8/10 - A constant problem down the right side. Caused Burn all sorts of problems and pulled out some delightful passes.

AM: Bernardo Silva - 9/10 - Everything he did looked like it could lead to a goal. Credited with two fortunate goals but absolutely deserved that sort of luck. An immense showing.

LM: Jeremy Doku - 8/10 - Guilty of one or two poor decisions but made so many good ones that it balanced out. Constantly flew down the left to terrorise Newcastle's defence.

ST: Erling Haaland - 6/10 - Newcastle seemed to focus on keeping Haaland quiet, but that simply left an ocean of space for everyone else around him.

Substitutes
SUB: Oscar Bobb (77' for Doku) - 7/10

SUB: Julian Alvarez (87' for Haaland) - N/A


Pep Guardiola - 7/10 - City picked up on the flaws in Newcastle's setup almost instantly and ruthlessly punished them.

This post has been edited by kjs86: Mar 17 2024, 04:31 AM

Stefan Ortega 6

A spectator for the large part but made a big save in the first half from Isak. His distribution, however, was suspect.

Kyle Walker 6.5

Untroubled, especially given Newcastle played without wingers. Did not really have to get forward, either. An easy night.

Ruben Dias 6.5

Like his team-mates at the back, this was a relative stroll for the centre-half. Strong and imposing when he had to be.

Manuel Akanji 7

Isak attempted to get away on his shoulder once or twice, but he invariably recovered and was not overly exerted.

Josko Gvardiol 6.5

Was tested by Murphy’s pace and intent but came out on top.

Mateo Kovacic 7.5

Seemed to have a monopoly on possession of the ball at one stage, and never once wasted it. Very easy, but he also made it look so.

Rodri 7.5

See Kovacic. It was all so simple for the Spaniard, who is just better than anyone he comes up against

Phil Foden 8

Played from the right but found space in No.10 position and was a menace throughout. Some lovely touches and just about the game’s best player.

Bernardo Silva 7.5

Two goals, albeit both deflected, but he was rewarded for taking aim after Newcastle stood off and invited him to shoot. Plenty of classy involvements the goals apart.

Jeremy Doku 7

Was involved in most City offensives but decision-making still needs to be better. Does not convert on positions of promise.

Erling Haaland 6.5

There were probably goals to be had here but he rarely threatened, save for one run and shot that flew inches wide. More of a team display than individual show from the striker.

Substitutions
Oscar Bobb (on for Doku 77) 6

Julian Alvarez (on for Haaland 87) N/A

Manager - Pep Guardiola 7

A routine night when Newcastle’s change of shape presented very few problems and Guardiola’s team teased passes around the park with comfort.

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