Key Statistics for the Liverpool vs. Manchester City Match

The Football News Show poses the question of whether a defeat to Liverpool could end Manchester City’s Premier League title aspirations. While it may seem improbable, it is a notable fact that San Marino has achieved more victories in November than Manchester City. The reigning Premier League champions, Manchester City, have not secured a win in any competition for 34 days, having recorded five defeats and one draw in their last six matches. A potential loss to Liverpool, currently in strong form, at Anfield on Sunday (16:30 GMT) would result in them trailing the Premier League leaders by 11 points after 13 games. This analysis explores the significance of such a points difference, providing 10 key statistics for consideration before Sunday’s crucial encounter. In the 32 seasons of the Premier League, only three teams have successfully overcome a deficit of 11 or more points at any stage to win the title. Manchester City has never managed to win the title after being more than 10 points behind. An 11-point lead after 13 games has occurred only once, with Manchester United achieving this in the 1993-94 season, subsequently winning the title. For Liverpool to establish this gap this weekend, Arsenal, Chelsea, and Brighton would also need to drop points. Should this outcome materialize, City would become the first Premier League champions to experience four consecutive losses in the subsequent season. Nevertheless, there is a basis for hope among City supporters, as the club has previously recovered from deficits of 8-10 points to win the Premier League title on six occasions, all at a later stage of the campaign than the present. Furthermore, in four of Pep Guardiola’s six Premier League title-winning seasons, his team has overturned leads of eight points or more. Defensively, only Getafe and Bayern Munich face fewer shots per league match than City, who concede an average of eight. However, the primary concern for City’s defense is not the volume of chances allowed, but rather their quality. Manchester City concedes opportunities of significantly higher quality than any other team in Europe’s top five leagues. On average, only two teams, Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich and La Liga’s 15th-placed Getafe, concede fewer chances per game than City’s eight. Liverpool currently holds four more points compared to their first 12 games of last season. While the overall level of their play has not dramatically changed, it has become somewhat more defensive-minded. This season, they have faced 37 fewer shots while also taking 35 fewer. These figures represent Liverpool’s fundamental defensive and offensive statistics when comparing their first 12 games of the current season to the previous one.