Hands, and Guardiola, deep in Klopp’s pocket

THEY both stood, hands in pockets, pushing the boundary of their technical area... intent only on pressing forward.

As an image, it summed up perfectly the approach of both Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola to this pulsating, at times breathtaking match.

No small box, no mere white lines, could contain the ambition of either man.

Klopp was all pensive emotion, his usual flamboyant, wild gesturing locked more firmly in a tense, almost pained inhibition. Even as three goals rained in during an astonishing first half, the trademark celebrations were barely evident.

Guardiola (below) was the opposite. As immaculate as ever, the pin-sharp wool of his crisply-cut outfit in muted tones of grey and black... colours which belie the imagination of the man.

Yet those dull hues were not reflected in his actions on the bench, as the excitement of the opening minutes when City tore at Liverpool made way for a more confused, baffling contest.

Guardiola began with encouragement, exaggerated applause for his side as they put their opponents under pressure.

Even when Liverpool opened the scoring against the run of play, the Spaniard was still smiling, still waving City forward.

Yet that instinct, that desire always to attack eventually allowed gaps to appear. And when Liverpool did break, suddenly there was panic.

It surfaced first in a wild attempted clearance from Kyle Walker which gave Mo Salah the opening goal, and more obviously when Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain strode too easily forward to menace retreating defenders before unleashing a blockbuster. Panic, blind panic followed in the City ranks.

That second goal changed the nature of the contest, and changed Guardiola’s expression.

Now he was throwing his arms in exasperation.

There were even screams of anger at his players. When they started to hack wildly at clearances, when they stopped passing, there was a demonic look in his eye and some of Klopp’s animated gesturing.

Quite possibly some Spanish curses too.

Maybe they were directed at himself because Guardiola clearly got his starting line-up wrong. Certainly, the decision to ditch Raheem Sterling and go with a more conservative approach was an error.

As it unravelled, there was a real feeling that Guardiola had not just got it wrong, but spectacularly so. One City pundit, showing the glum pessimism which was once the club’s trademark, suggested that somehow Stuart Pearce had returned as manager, such was the lack of an obvious shape or purpose.

Guardiola did not send on Sterling immediately for the second half, as though reluctant to admit his mistake.

As for Klopp, even at 3-0 he knew it wasn’t over yet, his arms wrapped tightly around his chest saying as much.

When Salah left the pitch, those arms went back into the pockets and his shoulders slumped.

Where Guardiola was inhibited by the Eygptian’s presence, now he could attack at will, throwing Sterling on and abandoning any cover on the flanks.

It was that sort of a contest after all.