Chapter 640 Game

Every season, from the end of December to mid-January of the following year, because of the European weather and Christmas is equivalent to the New Year in European countries, the football associations of various countries have set up a winter break according to the actual situation.

The winter breaks of La Liga, Bundesliga and Ligue 1 all started after December 23, 2018, and Serie A started a little later, but also at the end of December. The teams in these four major leagues can get more than ten days of rest time.

However, there is no such thing as a winter break in the Premier League. Even playing games during festivals has become a tradition in England.

Of course, for the English Football Association, they are unwilling to give up any game, and in the English top league, even the weakest team has to play at least 40 games in a season.

For teams like Liverpool, there will be more. In the past half of the 2018 season, Liverpool players have played more than 30 games including the Community Shield, the League, the Super Cup, the Champions League group stage, the League Cup and the Club World Cup.

This does not include the games with national team tasks during the international match day, so many coaches have mixed opinions on England's lack of a winter break.

Even so, it is a rule that England does not have a winter break, especially the Premier League has the habit of playing games during Christmas and New Year. The decisive battle between Manchester City and Liverpool was scheduled on the first day of the New Year in 2019.

"Damn it, we have to go to this damn city to play in this damn weather, the FA is a bunch of shit!" Klopp complained on the club bus, feeling bad.

In this case, even the captain dared not say it on the bus, because everyone knew that Li Qing's girlfriend, Tong Shenbing, the current manager of Liverpool's physical side department, was studying at university in Manchester.

Today's Liverpool players would rather offend the coach than Tong Shenbing, otherwise they would definitely fail the physical fitness test on that day, and the consequence of failing would be three bowls of bitter soup medicine that would make them doubt their lives.

But it's no wonder Klopp complained. No winter break would mean that his team would have to play more games than teams in other leagues. Teams that don't get a rest would have more injuries than opponents in other leagues after the winter break.

Liverpool's Gomez is still recovering from injury. The team doctor's report shows that he needs to rest for at least four weeks. Salah's condition is more serious. It is definitely impossible to see him on the court at least in March.

Chamberlain is recovering well, but it is still unknown when he can play. Keita also has a minor injury. Milner, Matip and others also have various problems. Although it does not affect the game, who knows when they will break out.

It is really a long and arduous task to defend all the championships. Do you really have to give up the domestic cup competitions and focus on the league and the Champions League? But then the fans...

Klopp felt a little headache and looked back at the car. Li Qing was sitting behind him, sleeping soundly with his mouth wide open.

This guy! Klopp cursed in his heart. He was the only one who could sleep so soundly in the whole bus! However, Li Qing's relaxed attitude can also make many people in the team feel relaxed.

I don't know when it was, Li Qing can be said to be Liverpool's stabilizing force. As long as he is on the court, the players' spirit is much stronger than usual, even when the team is behind!

I hope everything goes well in today's game! Klopp sighed softly and sat closer to the back of the chair.

Today's game is a battle that determines the trend of the Premier League championship this season. There is no doubt that his old rival Guardiola will definitely not let this 6-point battle be messed up at home!

Although Guardiola praised Liverpool as the best team in Europe in a previous media interview, he also said, "If Manchester City loses points again in this game, it will be impossible to compete for the championship this season."

From this point, Klopp also deeply agrees. From the literal meaning, Klopp also knows that Guardiola does not want to lose, and even a draw is unacceptable. Winning is Manchester City's primary goal in this game.

It seems that this game is not easy to score points! Klopp also discovered the current problems of the team through the team's internal competition.

But he was still hesitant. If Guardiola used a strong offensive tactic at home as usual, would his starting lineup today be too risky?

This feeling still did not settle down after seeing the starting players of both sides on the field.

As Klopp himself and his tactical team predicted, the players sent by Manchester City's head coach today seemed to play 433.

Goalkeeper Ederson, defenders Stones, Danino, Kompany and Laporte, midfielders Fernandinho, Bernardo Silva and David Silva, forwards Aguero, Sterling and Sane.

But through the positioning, Klopp found that Guardiola actually arranged a 4231 defensive counterattack formation.

The appearance of Stones, Danino and Kompany on the back line did not surprise Klopp. What surprised him was that Laporte actually appeared at the left back position.

Fernandinho and Bernardo were behind, David Silva was in the middle, Sterling and Sane were on both sides, and Aguero was the only one to rush forward.

It seemed that Guardiola really intended to compete with him in the midfield today, and then use Sterling and Sane, two fast wingers, to attack his flanks to create opportunities!

Li Qing really guessed it right!

Klopp looked at Li Qing, who was standing on the court, waiting for the kick-off, and muttered to himself: "Then it's up to you next!"

Guardiola, who was standing on the side of the court and looking at the Liverpool lineup on the court, was a little dazed, and his eyes became a little erratic.

Liverpool's defense today was exactly what he thought, with goalkeeper Alisson, defenders Arnold, Robertson, Lovren and Van Dijk lined up.

But the midfield selection gave him a hint of ominous omen, Fabinho, Wijnaldum and Li Qing actually formed the midfield, and the forward became a combination of Firmino, Mane and Sturridge.

This is totally different from what Guardiola thought. He originally received news that Henderson, who was released from suspension, would definitely play in this game, and vice-captain Milner also had a high chance of starting, but these two are now sitting on the bench!

What puzzled Guardiola in particular was why Liverpool's ace striker appeared in the middle instead of the forward line, and why Sturridge, who had been out of action for a long time, was sent up. What was the meaning? Guardiola felt that he couldn't understand Klopp for the first time.