Danny Murphy has now sent a warning to Pep Guardiola ahead of the Premier League clash between Manchester City and Liverpool on Saturday.
The 46-year-old wrote for the Daily Mail ahead of the game.
So, what did Danny Murphy warn Pep Guardiola about? Let’s take a look…
What’s the story?
Well, the BBC Sport pundit – who thinks Jeremy Doku may start on Saturday – told the Spaniard that he would be taking a risk in pushing one of his central defenders into midfield against Jürgen Klopp’s side.
Guardiola has made a habit of utilising one central defender in a midfield hybrid role across the last 18 months, with John Stones shining in that position.
Manuel Akanji was tasked with carrying out the role against Chelsea after the England international suffered an injury, but struggled as the Blues scored four in a thrilling 4-4 draw.
Now, Murphy has told Guardiola that he would be taking a significant gamble in repeating that tactic against Liverpool, who boasts dangerous players such as Mohamed Salah, Dominik Szoboszlai, Darwin Nunez and Luis Diaz in forward areas.
He wrote: “When City pushed their defenders up and Chelsea were able to get a turnover, the speed of Raheem Sterling and Nicolas Jackson was a real threat. City do many wonderful things but if they persist moving one of their centre halves into midfield to try to control the game, whether it be Manuel Akanji or John Stones, there is a risk because of the space they leave behind.”
Guardiola surely won’t repeat Akanji experiment in Manchester City vs Liverpool
Akanji is a marvellous footballer, and the Switzerland international even managed to score in the aforementioned 4-4 draw against Chelsea.
However, the John Stones Role – as it has become known – is a truly unique position which demands a lot, and there is no shame in failing to pull it off.
Akanji was unable to deal with the intensity of Mauricio Pochettino’s high pressing Chelsea at times, so given the fact Klopp plays a similar style, it would be wise of Guardiola to try someone else in that role.
In truth, even Kalvin Phillips could do the job on Saturday, if the £378,846-a-week tactician actually decides to trust his No.4 for once.
Whatever Guardiola opts to do, Saturday’s clash should be a highly entertaining one regardless.
