‘WE WON’T FEAR KOP’
PEP GUARDIOLA believes his Manchester City side can repeat last season’s victory at Liverpool – this time in front of a packed Kop.
City’s 4-1 triumph at Anfield in the Premier League in February was their first there for 18 years, with the match played behind closed doors because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Guardiola denied the absence of home fans was a key factor in ending the Anfield hoodoo, and said he and his team would relish playing in front of a hostile, capacity crowd tomorrow.
“You have destroyed my happiness because you don’t credit what we did last season,” joked City manager Guardiola. “I will never forgive you.
“No, I’m very pleased Anfield is full again and we can go there to play a game.
“It’s nice that the people are back and we can enjoy a fantastic atmosphere.
“Hopefully we can handle it in a good way. I’m pretty sure the players would prefer to play with fans at Anfield than without.
“Everything is more alive, it’s more difficult.
“I don’t know the reasons why we didn’t win at Anfield over 18 years. Over my five years it was because they are an exceptional team.
“The crowd helps of course, like in Paris [for City’s 2-0 Champions League defeat] in midweek.
“They were supporting their team, even when we were dominating parts of the game.
“Even in Germany, when Bayern Munich went to Borussia Dortmund – or Barcelona in Real Madrid – the crowd pushes a lot.
“It’s not about intimidation. It’s about the quality of the opponent.
When you don’t win, it’s because they are so good.
“We try to win games, with or without spectators. But last season we won.”
Guardiola defended the form of Raheem Sterling, who will return to his former club having scored just twice in his last 25 games for City.
Despite that goal famine, Guardiola said he has no issues with Sterling, below, who finally scored for City at Anfield last season at the eighth time of asking. “Raheem played really well as a striker in the last game against Paris
SaintGermain,” said the City boss.
“He created incredible spaces for all of us.
“He created one special clear chance that the goalkeeper was exceptional in saving, and another down the left with the movements he had.
“We needed that in that specific game – the space, the quality, the movements and speed from zero to 100, he did it exceptionally well.
“He always has the movements to create something for himself in front of the goal, like Ferran Torres.
“Both are so good at making movements in behind. The way Sterling trained in the last week, I thought he could put in a good performance and he has done.”