Gerrard insists Liverpool were ‘fantastic’ vs Man City as he ‘puts money’ on new title winners
Steven Gerrard’s Liverpool expectations have clearly plummeted as the Reds icon insisted his former side were “fantastic” in defeat to Manchester City on Sunday.
Andoni Iraola’s side were dismantled by City in the second half at on Sunday as Ryan Gravenberch’s second yellow card was followed quickly by goals from Erling Haaland, Jeremy Doku and Rayan Cherki as the Reds dropped to ninth in the Premier League table.
Liverpool arguably had the better of a relatively even (and dull) game before Gravenberch was sent off, as Gravenberch himself and Victor Munoz excelled, but they were generally reduced to shots from distance.
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Gerrard – not unreasonably – claims the lack of chances for the Reds was largely down to the excellence of Manchester City, but he might be alone in thinking Liverpool were “outstanding for an hour” before they were reduced to ten men.
“In terms of the Man City performance under Enzo Maresca yesterday, they were outstanding,” Gerrard said on The Overlap.
“People are talking about how it took the red card for them to go and blow Liverpool away. And they did blow Liverpool away from that moment. But they were outstanding from the first kick of the ball.
“The game plan, tactically, how they were set up, the distances, they soaked everything up that Liverpool threw at them. And Liverpool were outstanding for an hour, they were fantastic.
“But Manchester City never really looked ruffled or flustered. They played with maturity and experience. And this Manchester City team, in my opinion, they’re ready. They’re ready.
“They’ve already come to terms with Pep Guardiola moving on. The Maresca team, you can see it clearly. And they’ve got players in every position that are ready to win now, in my opinion. Fantastic team.”
Arsenal were strong favourites to retain their Premier League title, largely because of Guardiola’s exit from Manchester City and uncertainty over Maresca hitting the ground running.
But Gerrard has seen enough to change his mind from Arsenal to Man City as his title winners this season.
He added: “Before a ball was kicked, I fancied Arsenal to just carry on, but now, what are we, six, seven games in…
“I’d put my money on Manchester City, having seen what I’ve seen yesterday. I’d put my money on City. They’re just so strong, and then you see the bench.”
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