A final hurdle to invincibility
Kop a result and no one will stop City says Joey
IT IS 15 years since Joey Barton played in the only Manchester City team to have won at Anfield in 37 seasons. He has had a colourful and controversial career since but the memories of that “special day” in 2003 remain a high point. Given the form City are in, Barton believes they will never have a better chance of ending their bad run on the red half of Merseyside. And if they avoid defeat tomorrow, Barton is convinced City will go on to emulate the Arsenal ‘Invincibles’ of 2003-04 by going through the entire Premier League season unbeaten. “If they don’t end it now, you would begin to think they’re never going to do it,” he said. “When you look at their results, their form, the team they’ve got and the belief in the camp, it has to be their best opportunity. “City have got the league title sewn up. They’re not going to lose five games out of the last 16 and remember their rivals would still have to have a perfect record from now on.
“It’s now a case of how many records they can break. When I look at the fixtures they have left, the trip to Anfield is City’s biggest test.
“When Liverpool are good they’re very good. City have won at Chelsea and United and I don’t see them getting beaten at Arsenal or Tottenham. If they can get a win or a draw at Anfield, people will seriously believe they can match that Arsenal side of 2004.
“If someone had said after that game 15 years ago City would become a bigger club than Liverpool, they’d have laughed at you. But that is a reality now. City are a European superpower and are only getting better.
“The irony is there were rumours Sheikh Mansour tried to buy Liverpool but was rebuffed because Liverpool thought it was a joke – and they ended up buying City.”
Although Barton, ruled out for the season by a betting ban, admits Liverpool have lost a
“fantastic player” in Philippe Coutinho, he thinks that if the £142million fee from Barcelona is spent wisely, Jurgen Klopp could end up with a better-balanced team.
“Klopp was struggling to fit Coutinho, Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino, Mo Salah and Adam Lallana into the same team. When they all played it left them exposed,” he said.
“Playing Georginio Wijnaldum gives them a better balance. I’ve played against Coutinho and he’s a fantastic player but he could be man-marked out of games.
“They have got the centre-half they needed in Virgil van Dijk, they will get Naby Keita this summer, if not this window, but they still need a goalkeeper and maybe another midfielder or two. The sooner they get the spine of the team sorted they will be able to challenge City – but I don’t think it will be this year.”
Barton had just broken into City’s first team when Kevin Keegan’s men came from behind to win 2-1 at Anfield in May 2003, courtesy of two Nicolas Anelka goals.
“It was a special day,” said Barton. “As a Scouser you always remember the first time you play at Anfield.
“I’m an Evertonian and earlier that season I’d played at Goodison Park and scored for England U21s against Portugal. So it was a good start for me on the two Merseyside grounds – but that was as good as it got!
“I always remember lining up against Steve Gerrard, a Huyton lad like me. To have two lads playing from the same neck of the woods in a Premier League game was great.
“He’d broken into their first team three or four years before and was always a good example for me. I remember we had a couple of challenges but they were fair. I always got on well with Stevie.
“And I remember an unbelievable save by Peter Schmeichel from Milan Baros at the Anfield Road End when it was 1-1. It’s probably the best save I’ve ever seen in my professional career.
“Anelka got a late winner that cost Liverpool qualification for the Champions League.
“It was a memorable day for City. I wasn’t even born the previous time they’d won there [Boxing Day 1981].” How will it go tomorrow? “Both have proved they’re capable of anything,” said Barton. “I don’t think City will win but I don’t think they’ll lose either. It will be an entertaining draw.”
The trip is their last big test