Glen Johnson, an ex-Liverpool defender, has explained why Manchester City defeated his old side to the Premier League title last season.
Johnson appeared in 160 games for Liverpool between 2009 and 2015, and was a vital cornerstone of the Reds’ defence throughout his time at Anfield. He was also the team’s right-back during the infamous 2013/2014 title race, which they lost to the blue side of Manchester.
In a recent interview with Genting Casino, the 37 year-old was asked what he thinks his old side need to do to close the gap on City. He said:
‘Liverpool didn’t do much wrong last season. It’s just unfortunate they are up against City at the moment.’
Johnson is certainly correct in the fact that the Merseyside club can’t do much more.
The 92 points they gained as runners-up last campaign would have seen them win the Premier League in 23 of the last 30 years, which portrays the incredibly high level both City and Liverpool are playing at.
Johnson went on to emphasise this point, stating: ‘I can’t say where they have to improve but they just have to lose one less game.’
‘The points that Liverpool are getting are good enough to win any league at the moment, so I think it could come down to their head to head games.’
Last season, both meetings ended in 2-2 ties, with nothing separating the two teams after 180 minutes of play.
The FA Cup semi-final was the only time either team showed any type of domination, with the reds putting up a great performance to beat City 3-2.
This season promises to be exciting at the top of the table, with prolific goal scorers Erling Haaland and Darwin Nunez joining Manchester City and Liverpool, respectively.
Fans won’t have to wait long to find out where the two sides stand coming into the new season, as they will face off in the Community Shield on July 30th.
Liverpool Legend on Haaland and Núñez
Former Liverpool defender Mark Lawrenson has sent a blunt message to Premier League sides following comparisons between Man City’s Haaland and new Reds forward Darwin Núñez.
The ex-Match of the Day pundit has briefly wished “good luck” to the rest of the league with Haaland joining Pep Guardiola’s side, but does think Núñez will have an impact.
“Both Erling Haaland and Darwin Núñez are goal scorers but they’re both completely different players,” Lawrenson told Paddy Power.
“It shows that you don’t have to have a stereotypical player in that position. They can be different. As we saw with City last year, they won the league without a striker. And now they’ve got one of the world’s best so good luck to everybody else.”
