Liverpool are to blame. It was Jurgen Klopp’s conclusion and his confession. “We are 100 per cent guilty for everything,” said the German and if, not for the first time, there was an element of exaggeration to an emphatic statement, he was not trying to dodge responsibility for a slide that has surprised him in its scale.
Over four seasons, Liverpool and Manchester City had set standards that had never been maintained for so long in the English game before. They were separated by a solitary point – 358-357, with Pep Guardiola taking one more than Klopp – and fought a fierce rivalry from parallel positions. Not now: while Liverpool are looking for a third victory over City this season when they visit the Etihad Stadium on Saturday, they kick off 19 points behind them, 27 adrift of Arsenal.
