Liverpool
The rise of Dominik Szoboszlai – A genius with ‘confidence bordering on arrogance’
Dominlik Szoboszlai‘s career so far has taken him from Hungary to Austria, Germany and England. Here David Lynch speaks to the Liverpool FC No.8’s former coaches in an exclusive look at the impressive story – so far!.
EXCLUSIVE FOR THIS IS ANFIELD
Perhaps because he was so enamoured by it, it is Jesse Marsch who best sums up the sense given by so many of Szoboszlai’s former coaches that he has always been in possession of a confidence bordering on arrogance.
The American coach has fond memories of his first meeting with 18-year-old ‘Szobo’ following his appointment as Red Bull Salzburg boss in 2019, and recalls being blown away by a player whose remarkable talent was matched only by his own conviction that he would fulfil it.
This quality has clearly stood Szoboszlai in good stead during a meteoric rise that continued this summer with a £60 million move to Anfield, where he has quickly emerged as the beating heart of what Jurgen Klopp is terming ‘Liverpool 2.0’.
But that outcome was by no means guaranteed back when he was defying cultural norms during a crucial career stop in the Austrian Bundesliga.
Marsch tells This Is Anfield: “I’d spoken to Szobo a little bit before but the first day I showed up, you could see he had such confidence about him. It’s borderline arrogance, but it’s real.
“He just believes in himself and he’s always believed that he was going to be a big player. I’m drawn to those kind of personalities, I like guys that come with a bit of arrogance to them.
“Germany and Austria are a little different, but in German there’s a word, ‘demütig’, and it means humble. And if you say to somebody anything like, ‘He should stay humble’, it’s an insult because in German they don’t like arrogance.
“But I’m different, I’m American! So I was drawn to him immediately.
“He was still young, a bit immature, and still needed some guidance in terms of how to use his confidence to help benefit him as a player.
“But I watched him play the year before, I really liked him and I thought he had a big future with how I was going to move the team forward.”
Strict, focused and born for this
It is Szoboszlai’s father, Zsolt, a former professional footballer who played in his native Hungary and in Austria’s lower divisions, who is most frequently credited with forging that cast-iron self-belief by those with knowledge of the family.
Székesfehérvár locals also remember Dominik growing up in a strict environment that owed much to his father’s determination that his own career in the game would be surpassed by his son.
It is already well known that Szoboszlai was made to wear smaller boots than he required in order to improve his dexterity, but less so that he was rarely given permission to socialise with friends as a child whose main focus had to be training.
Zsolt’s bloody mindedness even stretched to opting out of Hungary’s traditional youth development pathway – a decision many felt was subsequently justified by the lack of obvious return on dictatorial prime minister Viktor Orban’s £2 billion investment in football since 2010.
He and his son had been coach and player in the youth ranks of local club Fehérvár FC (then known as Videoton due to a sponsorship agreement with a local electronics manufacturer) until Zsolt was involved in a disagreement that prompted a parting of the ways in 2007.
Rather than seek out another academy, Szoboszlai Snr instead elected to form his own, named Fonix Gold, with strict selection criteria and a focus on coaching on smaller groups to increase one-to-one contact.
Rather than seek out another academy, Szoboszlai Snr instead elected to form his own, named Fonix Gold, with strict selection criteria and a focus on coaching on smaller groups to increase one-to-one contact.
Szoboszlai thrived in this environment, though one rather remarkable story from this time concerns a consensus forming locally that he would never be quick enough to make it at the elite level.
Of course, that myth did not survive long, with the young midfielder’s exploits in his father’s academy soon earning him recognition at international level.
It was at that point a 15-year-old Szoboszlai came onto the radar of Michael Boris, a German coach then in charge of Hungary’s U19s and about to step up and lead the U21s.
Boris recalls: “Bernd Storck was the sporting director of the Hungarian federation and he said, ‘You have to have a look at this young guy’.
“Two weeks before he had played with the U17s and I took him with the U19s to Armenia.
“The second game, he came in for some minutes and, from this time, it was clear that if I was going to be the U21s coach then I had to take him as soon as possible.
“[He had] to play with older guys because, compared to the others in the U17s, you could see that he was different.
“First of all, the set-pieces, the free-kicks, the technical footing was amazing, but I think at this moment he is one of the guys who is running the most in the Premier League and you could see this in the youth also.
“Normally, a typical No. 10 is not working defensively and prefers to play forward, but he did everything even though he played in an offensive position.”
A ‘crazy’ and ‘clever’ genius
As well as this technical prowess, Szoboszlai was already showing his trademark confidence in attempting to take responsibility from his more senior teammates.
Boris says: “We had players like Daniel Gazdag, who now plays for the senior national team and is very successful, so we had a lot of good midfield players.
“But Dominik, every free-kick he went to the ball and wanted to shoot!
“I had to explain that there was an order and that the older player has to try it and then, if it’s not good, then he can.
“But at that age he was a little bit naughty – but it was positive. And you could see the quality in his shooting free-kicks.
“There is a touch of negativity in the word arrogance, but he had confidence, a good self-confidence in himself and knowledge of how to survive against older players.”
A breakout on the international stage meant it was not long until attention from abroad followed, with Red Bull heading up the queue thanks to their famously extensive scouting network.
But, for reasons that even those close to the deal aren’t quite able to clarify at this point, Szoboszlai was required to spend time in the academy of a top-flight side before a move could be signed off.
For that reason, he made the switch to nearby MTK Budapest for 12 months, and it is there, after years of hearing about this local wonderkid through friends, that Zsolt Szekely first got to see him up close.
Inevitably, he was stunned by what he saw, and recalls: “He was very, very clever – a genius!
“He knew who was a good player and who wasn’t, and he never passed the ball to someone who wasn’t good enough for him.
“Sometimes, if he saw there was a good player who might score, he wouldn’t pass the ball in front of them but a little bit behind him so he would give back the ball again and then he could score.”
Szekely tells one story in particular that paints a picture of just how dominant Szoboszlai had become among his peers.
He says: “He became a champion with the U17s, but the U16s had one last game and had to win it to become champions too.
“So came back to us to help us… and scored four goals and gave three assists as we won 8-0. He’s a crazy guy.”
The art of learning the lesson
Of course, given his tender years, Szoboszlai still had much to learn but, as has so often been the case in his short career, his cocksure nature generally served to bring him through.
Szekely adds: “I had a feeling sometimes that he didn’t work hard enough.
“There was a game where I was dissatisfied with him and I spoke with his father, who was also angry about it not being enough.
“I spoke with Szoby and told him that if he didn’t work harder I would put him on the bench, even in his own age group.
“That day he trained well and the next day he played fantastically, and that night he sent me a text: ‘Did you mean this, Zsolt?’
“He was very strong mentally, always. He knew what he had to do and he did it. To be honest, his father was always behind him, always told him what he had to do. So I think one of the biggest parts of his success is his father.”
Marsch, too, remembers occasionally struggling to get Szoboszlai to take lessons on board from anyone other than his father once he had reached Salzburg.
He says: “In the beginning, when I was critical of him he didn’t want to hear me.
“I had a lot of individual video sessions with him, almost every training session, almost every game.
“We would sit down and I would talk to him because with young, talented players like that it’s all about helping them achieve their potential and creating an accelerated learning curve.
“Then, what I call ‘the click’, once they start to understand exactly what’s necessary, it just hits them all at once and then it’s when they take off.
“In the beginning, Szobo was like, ‘Yeah, that’s not the best example…’
“But he and I had good trust and a good relationship and I kept pushing him to do more, to be more, to play harder, to not be satisfied.
“Eventually, that really clicked with him and became one of the things about him.”
Fulfilling his destiny
This realisation resulted in Szoboszlai exploding, with his spells at Salzburg and Leipzig returning four Austrian Bundesliga titles, three Austrian cups and two DFB-Pokals, and laying the foundations for his dream move to Liverpool.
He is now bidding for even more at Anfield, where his decision to take on the iconic No. 8 shirt has invited early comparisons with Steven Gerrard that, rather incredibly, look to have some legitimacy.
There is certainly a familiarity to his tireless running, powerful drives through midfield, and unstoppable long-distance shots – though the Scouse accent perhaps needs work.
But the most striking Gerrard trait evidenced by Szoboszlai thus far is his ability to thrive under pressure, which maybe should come as no surprise from a player who has been a Hungarian icon since being appointed his country’s captain at the age of just 22.
As Boris explains: “I’m living in Budapest and you can see now a lot of Liverpool shirts with the No. 8 and Szoboszlai on the back.
“Everybody is proud that this guy went to Liverpool and is playing well. I don’t know if every game from Liverpool was broadcasted before, but now it’s clear that they broadcast every game.”
Shouldering lofty expectations is perhaps made easier when you are simply fulfilling what you have long believed to be your destiny.
And, according to Marsch, Szoboszlai shares that mindset with another high-profile star to have also recently taken the Premier League by storm.
He says: “I got a note from his agent the day he signed for Liverpool and he said, ‘This was our vision from day one and you helped Dominik get there’.
“Szobo always had this belief in himself and this vision that he would be playing for the biggest clubs in the world and be the best player in those teams.
“This is all part of the manifestation of his confidence and his belief in himself. Some people may look at it as arrogance but Erling [Haaland] is the same.
“It’s interesting because Erling and Szobo had a really good relationship in Salzburg and, I think, learned a lot from each other.
“But I could see from both of them that they were going to be among the best players in the world because of their enthusiasm, their talent, their belief, their commitment, their work ethic, their desire to improve.
“The vision they had for themselves was different to most players. I don’t think that will ever be an issue for Szobo.”
There is more to come
So, having reached a destination where he can fully realise his immense potential under a masterful coach like Jurgen Klopp, what comes next?
According to those who know Szoboszlai best: world domination.
Boris says: “They asked me two or three years ago when he moved from Austria to Germany, how good he can be.
“I said, compared to Kai Havertz, he is stronger and better and it’s because he has this working attitude.
“He is able to play the 10 with less defensive work but you can also play with him on the No. 8 and he’s a real worker.
“With that, he also has amazing technique and the shot from distance is also amazing and the free-kicks. So he has this working mentality and I think it’s perfect.”
Marsch, too, returns to his own past comments on Szoboszlai, ones which he believes underline the potential for further growth.
He says: “In previous interviews, I’ve said the difference between him and Erling in terms of talent is not very big.
“They’re different positions and they have a different impact on the game, but I knew that physically he would be able to be dominant.
“And with Szobo’s technique and football intelligence, I knew that he would be very good.
“He’s hit the ground running but, when I see him play, there are still a lot of little things he can do better and I think he will grow and get better as he continues to play.”
And if we know one thing about Dominik Szoboszlai at this point, it is that his attempts to get even better certainly won’t be blocked by a lack of self belief.
Liverpool
Stefan Ortega facing backlash for making ‘insulting’ comment about Liverpool after Man City defeat
Stefan Ortega has been criticised for comments made after Manchester City were beaten 2-0 by Liverpool at Anfield.
Manchester City goalkeeper Stefan Ortega has received backlash for comments he made about Liverpool after the 2-0 defeat at Anfield on Sunday.
Ortega started the fixture in place of regular goalkeeper Ederson in a surprise decision from Pep Guardiola, who was attempting to stop City from suffering a fourth consecutive defeat in the Premier League.
But it didn’t quite happen, with Cody Gakpo opening the scoring early on before Mo Salah bagged a second from the spot after Ortega brought down Luis Diaz in the area.
Defending Premier League champions City have now gone a remarkable seven games without a win to drop to fifth in the table and Guardiola was subjected to chants of “you’re getting sacked in the morning” by Liverpool fans.
The Catalan responded by holding up six fingers to refer to the amount of Premier League titles he has won since taking the City job in 2016. Ortega was asked about it in a post-match interview and said he had heard that Liverpool “is probably not the best part of the UK” – a comment which many branded “tasteless” and “nasty”.
Asked if Guardiola’s gesture would urge City players to “prove people wrong”, Ortega told talkSPORT: “Probably. Someone told me before that this area is probably not the best part of the UK. Yeah, I think the manager reacted really well.”
Guardiola’s antics evoked memories of Jose Mourinho boasting of his trophies and had fans claiming he had “lost his head”. After the game, the City boss addressed his gesture and admitted he was surprised that Anfield erupted in the “sacked” chants.
“I didn’t expect Anfield to start chanting at 0-2 that I would be sacked,” Guardiola said.
“Maybe I deserved to be sacked with our results. Maybe I’m still in the job because I won six Premier Leagues and a lot of titles.
“They want to sack me. I wish they were more kind. Why didn’t they do it at 0-1? Why didn’t they do it last season when we won the Premier League?
“Why do they want to sack me now? I didn’t expect that from Anfield, for other clubs like Brighton I can understand it. But for Anfield I didn’t expect this, maybe it is the respect we have. They know we have won six Premier Leagues. But it’s fine, it’s part of the game.”
City are back in action on Wednesday when the host Nottingham Forest, who are just one point and one place behind them in the Premier League table after 13 games.
Liverpool
‘So pleasing’ – Arne Slot hails three Liverpool stars and gives Trent Alexander-Arnold fitness update
Liverpool earned a 2-0 win over Man City to tighten their grip on the Premier League title race.
Arne Slot has insisted he is going to have to protect his depleted Liverpool defence in the coming weeks.
The Reds stretched further clear at the top of the Premier League as they delivered a 2-0 victory over champions Manchester City at Anfield yesterday. Cody Gakpo and Mo Salah (penalty) were on target to ensure Liverpool moved nine points away from second-placed Arsenal, while they are 11 ahead of City.
But the Reds have a hectic period approaching, with trips to Newcastle United and Everton to come this week. Slot confirmed that Ibrahima Konate (knee) and Conor Bradley (hamstring) are set to be absent for a few weeks while Kostas Tsimikas (ankle) is still absent. The Liverpool head coach had only five defenders available against City, with Joe Gomez coming in for Konate while Trent Alexander-Arnold, who has recently recovered from his own hamstring issue, replacing Bradley.
Alexander-Arnold’s recent fitness issue is why he was substituted for Jarell Quansah. And Slot was impressed with all three defenders’ performances. The Liverpool supremo said: “These players that we have available now, it is important for them now – even more than normal – to stay fit. That’s also why I took Trent [Alexander-Arnold] off after 70 minutes. He was able to play longer, he played a very good game, defended really well again and was a major threat in attack. I think he was the one that played the ball towards Mo that led to the 1-0.
“But, knowing that we play Newcastle [on] Wednesday and Saturday the Merseyside derby with only five available, we have to take care of them. That’s why it was so pleasing to see the ones that came in – Joe and Jarell – did so well, even with Jarell in an unfamiliar position for him.”
Liverpool
‘Call me delusional’ – Pep Guardiola makes Man City claim and praises ‘amazing’ Liverpool midfielder
Pep Guardiola responds to Manchester City’s 2-0 defeat to Liverpool at Anfield.
Pep Guardiola admits some people will call him “delusional” after suggesting Manchester City’s performance in their defeat to Liverpool could be a turning point in their season. But the City boss admits the Reds were deserved winners as they extending their lead at the top of the Premier League.
An early Cody Gakpo strike and Mohamed Salah’s second-half penalty earned a 2-0 win for Arne Slot’s side at Anfield on Sunday afternoon.
Liverpool are now nine points clear at the summit with champions Manchester City now a whopping 11 points behind.
And Guardiola said: “We congratulate Liverpool for a well-deserved victory. The first 15-20 minutes we experienced like many other times coming here in our prime. We suffered, they deserved the goal.
“After, we take the game. I know some people don’t like the line-ups but we cannot compete against Liverpool and many, many other clubs that are transitional teams.
“I love wingers but we wanted more control because we know when they lose it they immediately contact with Salah or Luiz or Gakpo or later Nunez. They are so fast, quicker, stronger than us in that position in a game.
“I have the feeling that from here we start to build something. Call me delusional but I have the feeling that from here we will start to build back to winning games and confidence.”
Guardiola added: “If today we give up when you come to Anfield, you go home with a terrible result. The team was there all the time, resilient in the bad moments knowing what was going to happen because we have experienced many times and that they could not drop and be negative.
“The last 15-20 minutes in the first half and the second half for the first 25-30 minutes the game was what we wanted without the threat that we expected to create with our passes. We didn’t create much. You have to play games to create chances and we don’t have it.
“Thank you to Bernardo (Silva), Manu (Nunes), Rico (Lewis) to play in a position that they’re not used to to fight against Gravenberch, his first control is amazing, and then the next line of Mac Allister and Szoboszlai and later Jones. We made an incredible effort.”
City have now lost six of their last seven games in all competitions and have been beaten four times in succession in the Premier League, extending their worst run under Guardiola.
“Our target cannot be talking about titles in November or December but we didn’t do it when we were top of the league,” said the City boss.
“At the end, we are not far away from Arsenal or teams there but Liverpool win all the games in the Champions League and in the Premier League have just lost one here. That means how good they are doing. All we can do is congratulate them and learn from Liverpool.
“I lived better before than now. Even the taste of the wine was better. But I am incredibly honest with myself and when we were winning a lot my perspective was that I am fortunate to live that and now I am not depressed that everything is going bad.
“It looks like what we have done in the past is easy, but I know with Jurgen Klopp, the Liverpool that we beat, or Arsenal in the last seasons, how strong they are, but now we are not as strong as we were, that is the reality, for many, many, many circumstances.
“I want the team back, and the players back. It is important because now the training sessions are better and four or five players are coming back.”
Liverpool
Liverpool told star player ‘is gone’ as worrying claim made about his contract hours before Man City clash
Liverpool have been told that one of their star players ‘is gone’ ahead of their clash against Manchester City.
On Sunday afternoon, all the attention will be on Anfield as Premier League leaders Liverpool take on reigning champions City.
Pep Guardiola’s men are currently in the middle of a horrible run of form, having not tasted victory in their last six matches.
In contrast, Liverpool have only been beaten once this season and is currently top of the Premier League and the UEFA Champions League.
However, despite their positive start to the 24/25 season, concerns remain over the future of some of their star players.
Star trio Virgil van Dijk, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Mohamed Salah will walk away for free at the end of the campaign if they fail to agree a new contract with the club.
Speaking ahead of Liverpool vs City, former Tottenham Hotspur manager Harry Redknapp believes Salah is ‘as good as gone’.
He told The Sun: “Even at 32, if you gave him a three-year contract next summer, he isn’t going to suddenly fall off a cliff with his fitness or his play.
“But if I were in Arne Slot’s place, as his manager at Anfield, I’d be thinking that Salah is gone after this season, no matter what cryptic messages he puts out to muddy the waters over his future. If he hasn’t signed by now, then to me Salah is gone, despite those comments about the club not coming up with a new offer like he did.
“Last summer Liverpool could have got more than that but the move to Saudi’s Pro League didn’t come off — that surprised me. Now of course, in the age of the Bosman free transfer, a lot of what Liverpool would have collected will go Salah’s way.”
Redknapp added: “He has a choice. If he is purely football driven, stay at Anfield. But even for someone like him, if clubs are dangling crazy figures in front of you, it becomes difficult to turn down.
“He could have gone last year but was probably thinking that most of the £100m or even £200m Liverpool would have got for him, will be going his way in 12 months’ time, so he is sitting it out.
“In some ways if he wins the Premier League title again with Liverpool this season, it seems like a fitting way to go out. You have to be honest and think to yourself that this uncertainty has been dragging on for so long now that it makes things even more certain. That he is leaving.”
Man City goalkeeper Stefan Ortega has come out with a bizarre statement after losing to Liverpool in the Premier League. Pep Guardiola’s side is struggling for form.
After losing 2-0 at Anfield and conceding a penalty which was converted by Mohamed Salah, Manchester City goalkeeper Stefan Ortega has bizarrely hit out at the city of Liverpool.
According to the ECHO, the Spaniard, who was surprisingly selected ahead of the usual shot-stopper Ederson, used a radio interview post-match to aim a dig at Merseyside. He did so when asked about Pep Guardiola not being particularly pleased with the crowd telling him he would be “sacked in the morning”.
“Someone told me before that this area (Liverpool) is probably not the best part in the UK,” Ortega supposedly said. “I think he reacted really well, yeah.”
Guardiola put six fingers in the air to denote the number of titles that he has won while in England, often competing against Liverpool. That was in response to the Anfield crowd’s taunts during the game and he did it at the final whistle too.
“All the stadiums want to sack me!” Guardiola said. “It started at Brighton. Maybe they are right with the results we’ve been having but I didn’t expect that at Anfield.
“They didn’t do it at 1-0, but at 2-0. Maybe they should have sung it in the past. I didn’t expect it from the people from Liverpool but it’s fine, it’s part of the game, and I understand completely. We’ve had incredible battles together. I have a respect for them.”
Liverpool.com says: Ortega’s comments were a frankly bizarre thing for a professional soccer player to say. The chants were clearly tongue in cheek and as Ortega will surely know, Liverpool supporters are far from the only ones who have said such things.
Guardiola took it relatively well and having lost six out of seven games — squandering a 3-0 lead to draw 3-3 in the other one — it isn’t that far of firing form. For Guardiola, it is obviously different because of what he already achieved, but perhaps Ortega should focus on helping his team improve rather than aiming unnecessary sly digs.
Liverpool
Mo Salah responds with huge dig at Jamie Carragher in live post-match interview following ‘selfish’ claims
Mo Salah seemingly aimed a dig at Jamie Carragher following Liverpool’s 2-0 win over Man City at Anfield on Sunday.
Salah, 32, provided an assist for Cody Gakpo’s opening goal before firing home a penalty 12 minutes from time to put the Reds 11 points clear of Man City – now fifth – and nine clear of second-place Arsenal.
The Liverpool star admitted he was “more out than in” when speaking to reporters after Liverpool’s 3-2 win against Southampton last Sunday.
“I must say, I am very disappointed with Mo Salah,” Carragher said on Sky Sports’ MNF.
“[With] that interview yesterday…Liverpool have got Real Madrid midweek and Manchester City at the weekend – that’s the story for Liverpool right now.
“And Mo Salah, we’re all quite aware…that in the seven years he has been at the football club, he’s stopped in the mixed zone twice, which is his right, which is absolutely fine.
“But he decided to stop for the third time away at Southampton on the back of winning Liverpool the game.”
“The most important thing is Liverpool winning the Premier League,” he added.
“That is more important than any of those players, and if he continues to put comments out, or his agent keeps putting tweets out, that’s selfish.”
But he did admit he was “desperate” for the player and club to “meet in the middle” regarding a contract.
Following Liverpool’s victory against City, Salah and Van Dijk were interviewed by Sky Sports.
When the Player of the Match award was being handed out by Van Dijk to Salah, the Dutchman said: “I’m surprised that Carra didn’t give it to you.”
Salah replied: “He wouldn’t…never, he [Jamie Carragher] wouldn’t give it to me.”
When pressed on his contract situation, the Egyptian admitted that the match could have been the last time he faced Manchester City at Anfield as his current deal is set to expire in the summer of 2025.
“Honestly it’s in my head [it being his last time facing Man City at Anfield],” Salah said earlier in his post-match interview.
“Until now this is the last City game I will play for Liverpool so I was just going to enjoy it. The atmosphere was incredible so I will enjoy every second here. Hopefully we just win the league and will see what will happen.”
Speaking in the Sky Sports studio following the game, Carragher doubled down on his previous take.
“I have no problem with Salah and Van Dijk,” he said.
“They are two of the greatest for Liverpool. Liverpool are a club run by data. I’m not saying he shouldn’t get a two-year deal or give him big money.
“He’s on big money now. The club is not built on giving them what they want. That’s where the success of the club has come from. They are ahead of the game”
Manchester City suffered a sixth defeat in seven games as they lost 2-0 to Liverpool at Anfield and Pep Guardiola wasn’t impressed with a chant aimed at him.
Pep Guardiola admitted he was surprised to be on the end of taunts from Liverpool fans about his job security after his Manchester City slumped to another defeat at Anfield.
Guardiola is on the worst run of his managerial career and the Blues are now winless in seven, with six of them defeats after this 2-0 reverse to Liverpool, who are 11 points clear of City in the Premier League table.
After Mohamed Salah’s penalty put the game beyond doubt the home fans turned their attention to Guardiola with a rousing rendition of ‘you’re getting sacked in the morning’. The 53-year-old smiled at the taunt before turning to the supporters behind him and raising six fingers, a reminder of the number of Premier League titles he has won, many of them in epic battles with Liverpool.
Guardiola repeated that gesture in front of the City fans at full-time but was again hit with a rendition of ‘sacked in the morning’ by the home fans as he left the pitch. This time he applauded the Liverpool supporters and got a generous hand in return, but after the game he said he was shocked by the song.
Asked if this season’s troubles show how hard it was to win six title in a row, Guardiola said: “Don’t try to be nice to me. The perspective and the business is how to react today, not what happened. I’m so proud of my six Premier Leagues against that team and the previous team. I didn’t expect Anfield to start to chant at 0-2 that I would be sacked. Maybe I deserved to be sacked. With our results, maybe I’m still in the job because I won six Premier Leagues and a lot of titles.
“But I didn’t expect to sing at 0-2 – maybe at 0-1 when it was tighter or maybe last season or the previous season. At Anfield I didn’t expect it but it’s fine. It’s part of the game. When you win, you laugh, When you lose, you laugh.
“There have been incredible battles. The time with Jurgen Klopp was unforgettable for me and the battles with Liverpool have been forever. Even winning the Premier Leagues with little margin their teams were amazing but fortunately we were so resilient and strong mentally at our best it helped us to do something magnificent.
“Now this season it will be so difficult to repeat but I’m pretty sure all of us will reflect and try to come on strong with our fans at the Etihad against Nottingham Forest.”
Guardiola revealed the poor run of form was affecting him, but he is able to put it into perspective after the success he has enjoyed at the club.
“I lived better before than now. Even the taste of the wine was better,” he said. “But I am incredibly honest with myself and when we were winning a lot my perspective was that I am fortunate to live that and now I am not depressed that everything is going bad.
“I am incredibly honest with myself and when I think I cannot do it we will talk with the club but I feel that I want to do it and life is not in all departments perfect. You know at the start of the season when everyone says ‘City will win the league and the rest have to fight for the Champions League,’ I said, ‘Oh my God’.
“It looks like what we have done in the past is easy, but I know with Jurgen Klopp and the Liverpool that we beat, or Arsenal in the last seasons, how strong they are, but now we are not as strong as we were. That is the reality, for many, many, many circumstances.
“Not just Rodri, of course Rodri is vital for us, but not just him. For many reasons and the best way to go through that, for myself as well, is to go through the reality, to find the decisions to have to make to find the solutions to try to win games with these players.
“When I was in trouble my mum and dad never gave me away, always they were there, and now I have the feeling in the club. I want to be with these players. We didn’t think we can lose one game, two games. Losing six or seven is wow, it is a lot, but it is what it is, accept it.”
Manchester City fans have turned on one player on social media after a difficult first half against Liverpool.
Manchester City fans have turned on one player on social media after a difficult first half against Liverpool.
Liverpool went into their encounter with City, hoping to go 11 points clear of Pep Guardiola’s men. Indeed, Arne Slot had started life as Reds boss with 17 wins from 19 games.
Meanwhile, City have been in dismal form. They started the game in fourth, having lost five in a row before squandering a 3-0 lead to draw with Feyenoord in the Champions League earlier this week.
City’s woes have been blamed on several things – Erling Haaland’s form has been more erratic in front of goal while Ballon d’Or winning midfielder Rodri has been injured for much of the campaign.
However, City fans have also claimed the Kyle Walker powers are finally waning.
After going into half time 1-0 down against Liverpool, several City fans were critical of the 34-year-old England international on X.
One person said: “Kyle Walker’s awareness of what is around him gets worse, and worse, and worse with every passing week.”
Another added: “Kyle Walker is literally a pain to watch…how does he continuously start game and why is he still the captain…come on man sell this guy.”
A third said: “Kyle Walker once again, losing Gakpo at the back post. Beggars belief how he’s not been dropped.”
A fourth wrote: “The brains of people who still rate Kyle Walker need to be studied in labs like chimps.”
A fifth said: “Kyle Walker got to be one of the worst players in the Premier League. Absolutely abysmal.”
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