Three things we learned – Manchester City 0-2 Liverpool

Liverpool gave the three points to two goals of the first half of Mohamed Salah and Dominik Szobozlai to move 20 points in front of Manchester City.

The blues were much better during the week than against Real Madrid and generally played well, but in the end Liverpool was far superior in both boxes and started their business with the greatest efficiency.

Here are three things we learned when City lost to the champions:

The city does not have the X factor at that moment

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In an interview last season, Pep Guardiola spoke about the profile of the players who do not help them play well, but to help them win games. “

Liverpool has this with Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk. Salah is always an outlet at the front and has attracted the entire attention of Josko Gvardiol and Nathan Ake and showed up with a goal and an assistant.

At the other end, van Dijk won the header for header and was so graceful and elegant with his defense.

Both are brilliant players (and both in the summer I can hardly wait to see the back of them as a city fan!)

At the moment the city doesn’t have that.

Erling Haaland obviously offers this, but he was very missing both against Liverpool and against Madrid.

Kevin de Bruyne has suffered too many injuries and lost the advantage through his game. Ruben Dias plays at 50% fitness, Rodri has been injured for a few more months and Phil Foden was over arm all the season.

You may need a marquee this summer, especially when de Bruyne is going to give you the X factor that you used to have with de Bruyne, David Silva, Leroy Sane, Raheem Sterling and Sergio Aguero that every player could rely on to ensure a game moment.

They are not a million miles away

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However, a large part of the fan base is exaggerated.

City was not poor; They moved the ball well, dominated in duels and quickly won the ball after giving it away.

They threatened by Jeremy Doku and Savinho, but thanks to a lack of threat in the middle, bad end product of the wing players and the good defense against Liverpool, no chance were created.

Add Haaland and Rodri to this team and the city, which bear much more threats. There are still a few holes – a right back, a new attacking midfielder, possibly a center back, goalkeeper and central midfielder – who have to be filled in summer to give the team new life.

A few players have to go too. Kevin de Bruyne, Bernardo Silva, Ilkay Gundogan and Mateo Kovacic should expire on the back in the next two summer windows, John Stones, Kyle Walker, Manuel Akanji and Nathan Ake.

You can’t go all at the same time; These are too many important players who are winning the mentality and the influence of the dressing cabin. They have to be exhausted over two or even three summer windows.

These are the most important players who are to be abandoned, but also some Squad players (Matheus Nunes and James Mcatee) could be in line, and Claudio Echeverri and some of the current EDS could be promoted and challenged the squad in the way Rico Lewis did a few years ago.

But that’s a task for Hugo Vianna and the rest of the City’s board to do this summer. It may appear monumental, but City’s performance showed yesterday that they do not need an open -heart surgery.

Khusanov is the real deal

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A big positive from yesterday’s game was the performance of Abdukodir Khusanov, who seems to have a strange media agenda against him.

That sounds according to a statement that drips tribalism, but when the ambassador of Manchester City Micah Richards branded him over Sky Sports “from his depth” and the TNT comments insisted that he was torn on Wednesday evening by Vinicius Junior, it is difficult to deny.

The Uzbekistan international was fantastic against Arne Slots page. His pace on recovery is as good as Kyle Walker and he reads the game exceptionally well.

He is super composed on the ball and also improves learning. City has a real jewel with the 20-year-old, someone who can be trusted as a regular beginner from this point.