On these rare occasions when Manchester City suffer defeat, but particularly when that defeat comes in either the knockout stages of the Champions League or at Anfield, it is commonplace for the blame to fall on Pep Guardiola. The buck is not passed around as much as it is delivered directly to his door. You know the argument by now – that Guardiola overthinks these games – and whatever psychological holds these settings are supposed to have over the finest coaching mind of his generation, they translate first into his team selection, then into events out on the pitch.
There was a temptation to revisit that old theme after a defeat to Liverpool that felt familiar in a lot of ways, from how the Premier League champions succumbed to a wild, furious atmosphere and the manner of Mohamed Salah’s winning goal, scored on a simple and preventable counter-attack.
