Manchester City vs Liverpool: 5 Key Head-to-Head Battles

By Omar A. Mohamed /

3. Enrique v Clichy

Liverpool and Manchester City are two teams who boast very good left full-backs; City€™s Clichy moved to Manchester from Arsenal last season and made an immediate impact, while Jose Enrique made the switch from Tyneside to Liverpool and became one of the Reds€™ most consistent performers. Liverpool were locked in a transfer battle with Arsenal for Enrique last summer, and since the former Newcastle man chose them over the Gunners he has been an ever reliable presence in an otherwise below-par Liverpool side. The Spaniard was badly missed in Liverpool€™s game against West Brom, but should be back for the tie against City after recovering from an injury. Since signing for Manchester City last summer, Gael Clichy has proven to be one of City€™s more successful imports from North London. The Frenchman was important in City€™s title campaign through his experience defensive-wise and his sheer pace and crossing ability going forward. He appeared 37 times for City last season, making 3 assists, and made a fine start to this year€™s campaign with an assured performance against Southampton. Verdict: I think that these two players are very evenly matched as they have different styles of play; Enrique is a more defensive minded fullback, while Clichy is also adept going forward. As such, they are equally good footballers who will both be crucial to their teams€™ chances. A tie in my opinion.