Key events
Email! “Herr Jurgen has passed his 7-year period at Liverpool,” notes Jeff Sax. “And so they will not challenge the top three this season.”
I’m not sure there’s a bar that means a genius like Klopp is no longer effective, but Liverpool succcess was underpinned not just by him but by the best run of transfer business possibly in the history of the game. Replacing the likes of Mané, Fabinho and Henderson is hard enough, but to do it within a budget, for the kind of money they cost? Almost impossible.
Pretty sure I said this this time last week, but Andros Townsend is an excellent analyst and tries to cut through the bantz with serious questions and thoughts. I wonder if he could do the co-comm job, because I don’t think Sky were at all well-served in that department.
City have beaten Sheffield United 2-1; they top the table, the only side with three wins from three matches. Follow the reaction with Rob Smyth.
As for Liverpool, I’m excited to see how their new-look midfield takes shape. I’m not sure it’s recovered since Wijnaldum was replaced with Thiago as no longer could they run opponents off the pitch, forcing high turnovers and allowing their full-backs to playmake. Well, they’re back to fielding three young men now, three runners with quality, and Dominic Szoboszlai, in particular, has gamebreaking ability that Klopp’s brand of HR genius gives him a great chance of harnessing.
I’m properly looking forward to seeing how Newcastle go here. Even last season, they were a proposition, but what they have now are options. That’s a test for the manager, who has to pick the right players for the right games – already, we’re seeing Mikel Arteta struggling a little in a similar situation – but on the plus side, he can change a game from the bench and the competition for places looks ideal for a squad, many of whose members would never have expected to be challenging at the top of the table.
Elsewhere, Villa are 3-1 up at Burnley. Moussa Diaby, who looks a player, has scored again, while Matthew Matt Matty Cash has bagged a brace.
Jürgen Klopp, meanwhile, remains without Curtis Jones, Ibrahima Konaté and Thiago, while new signing Endo makes his first start, in for Diogo Jota.
Unsurprisingly, Newcastle are unchanged. They weren’t great at City last week, but that’s a very specific challenge and Howe’s current first XI well deserve another go.
And also going on:
Before we wonder about what they mean, don’t forget to join Rob Smyth for the end of Sheffield United 0-1 Man City – if you haven’t already.
Teams!
Newcastle United (a non-negotiable 4-3-3): Pope; Trippier, Schar, Botman, Burn; Tonali, Guimaraes, Joelinton; Almiron, Isak, Gordon. Subs: Dubravka, Lascelles, Wilson, Targett, Barnes, Livramento, Anderson, Longstaff, Murphy.
Liverpool (a creaking 4-3-3): Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Van Dijk, Matip, Robertson; Endo, Mac Allister, Szoboszlai; Salah, Gakpo, Diaz. Subs: Kelleher, Gomez, Nunez, Elliott, Tsimikas, Doak, Bajcetic, Jota, Quansah.
Referee: John Brooks (Melton Mowbray)
Preamble
In a lifetime of football obsession, certain images stick in the mind. And for your correspondent, one such comes from an earlier rendition of this afternoon’s tussle, almost 25 years ago to the day, that to this day remains as mind-bogglingly nauseating as it did at the time.
Liverpool won the game – Ruud Gullit’s first as Newcastle manager – 4-1, but what sticks in the mind is the revoltingly competent hat-trick disbursed by Michael Owen, fresh off his France ’98 earth-shattering, inside its first 32 minutes. The third goal, in particular, is a sublime effort, a burst past Philippe Albert followed by a chip stabbed over the still-upright Shay Given’s shoulder … after which Owen ran along the by-line, goggled eyes in mock disbelief at his own magnificence, then in a performance of performative twee that singed souls from Tyneside to Tuvalu, joyfully rubbed hands at the sheer hilariously unfathomable ease of it all. He was 18.
Yes and I was 19, the first serious footballer who was younger than me making for a chastening afternoon – one of many suffered by Newcastle in this fixture, to complete a segue marginally less deft than Little Micky’s finishing. It’s 15 games, 11 defeats and nearly eight years since they last beat Liverpool and prior to then came various other beatings and batterings … but have things now changed?
Today is the first time in a long time that the home side arrive at this fixture as favourites to take the points, and it’s easy to see why. The provenance of Newcastle’s upturn is unignorable, but in that context – *that* context – Eddie Howe has done a terrific job, drilling a physically monstrous squad, embroidered with the extra quality of Alexander Isak and Bruno Guimarães . to become the Premier League’s least pleasant opponents. They are grooved, nasty, and absolutely ravenous.
Liverpool, meanwhile, remain something of a mess. Their attacking brilliance and options are such that that’ve a shot at winning any game, but their midfield is unsettled at best and suss at worst while, in defence, Virgil van Dijk and Andy Robertson look past their peaks and Trent Alexander-Arnold will always be Trent. They do, though, know the significance of this encounter and how to prevail in one similar to it.
All of which means this is set up for a properly banging game of association football, both teams getting after it from the off. Here we go!
Kick-off: 4.30pm BST
