COMMENT
By David Lynch

It is hard to believe that Manchester City might covet anything that Liverpool currently possess, despite the Reds’ illustrious and oft-referenced honours list.

City have a Premier League title, a lucrative modern ground, a transfer kitty which dwarves their domestic rivals’ and one of the most well-stocked squads in European football. And yet, when they host Brendan Rodgers’s men on Sunday afternoon, they will know that three points are far from certain – largely thanks to the presence of Luis Suarez amongst the opposition.

Even during their 23-year league title drought, the Merseyside club have always seemed to boast at least one world-class striker amongst their ranks. This season, Suarez has proved that he is no different to the likes of Robbie Fowler, Michael Owen and Fernando Torres in that regard, by putting in a string of inspirational performances and plundering 17 Premier League goals.

Unfortunately, all this has come for a wildly inconsistent team whose challenge for a Champions League spot has failed to truly spark. For that reason, City could be forgiven for looking on longingly at the Uruguayan’s contributions and opining that they would be of more use at a club with title aspirations, such as themselves.

Roberto Mancini’s side could certainly do with the help. They find themselves 10 points adrift of rivals Manchester United at the top and, most tellingly, five points short of their own total last season after the same amount of games.

The reasons for this are clear, with City having posted four more draws and one fewer loss than last season at the expense of three wins. The champions may have defended just as impressively as during the opening 24 games of the 2011-12 campaign, having conceded just 19 goals, but the absence of 18 goals in the ‘For’ column in comparison is indicative of the root of their decline.

Under normal circumstances, such season-to-season fluctuations might not matter. But, when your biggest rivals have added the Premier League’s deadliest marksman and, by virtue of that, five points to their own tally, then the ramifications are clear.

Of course, United’s improvement is not the sole cause for this swing, with the idea that City have been somewhat ‘worked out’ this season becoming increasingly plausible. Put frankly, the champions can occasionally look predictable, are too often caught playing the game at right-angles and could be accused of adhering to an overly formulaic structure.

These are the sorts of adjectives which could never correctly be applied to Suarez, a player who embodies spark, ingenuity and other such exciting superlatives when he steps across the white line. That he has attempted over two-and-a-half times more dribbles (188) than City’s most prolific ball-carrier, Sergio Aguero, (70) perfectly indicates the individual brilliance that the 26-year-old brings to the table.

And Liverpool fans know better than most that the forward’s barely believable mastery of the art of the nutmeg is not just showy inefficiency. Allying this to a clear-cut-chance conversion rate of 54 per cent whilst creating 10 such chances so far this season – a pair of statistics that are unmatched by his City counterparts – is proof of the substance which underpins the style.

To have done all of this whilst playing in a team who, with respect, boast less talent among their ranks than those clubs fighting for the title is truly remarkable. And, whilst it may not boost Suarez’s chances of winning any Player of the Season awards at the end of the campaign (his controversial personality may prove enough to rule out that notion) it is certain to keep his stock high amongst managers, like Mancini, who may be on the prowl for a striker come the summer.

That said, on Sunday at least, City will hope not to be given a reminder of that on which they are currently missing out.

Follow David Lynch on

Liverpool right-back Glen Johnson has criticised Mario Balotelli following his departure from Manchester City, voicing his belief that the striker, who “winds himself up”, won’t be missed.

The controversial Italian was subject to one of the prolonged transfer sagas of the January window and eventually left on the last day of the month, moving to AC Milan for a fee believed to be around the £20 million mark.

The 22-year-old had endured a tough first half of the season with the Citizens, managing a paltry return of three goals in 20 appearances as he struggled to feature ahead of Sergio Aguero, Edin Dzeko and Carlos Tevez.

Johnson, whose Liverpool side face Balotelli’s old team tomorrow, clearly feels this was the right decision for Manchester City, as he voiced his belief that the other strikers at the club will produce on a more regular basis.

“No, I don’t think City will miss ­Balotelli, they have got some fantastic players and they’ve got a lot of players who will score a lot more goals than Mario did. I’m sure they won’t miss him too much,” he told reporters.

“I’m not being disrespectful to the guy, everyone in the country knows what he’s like. On his day, he can be a great player, but City have got other great players who do it a lot more often and score more goals than him.”

Balotelli’s discipline issues were well-documented during his time in England – he picked up 11 yellow cards last season – and Johnson also suggested that Balotelli had something of a propensity towards petulance.

“Mario winds himself up, you don’t need to do too much as an opposition defender,” he continued.

“We all have our faults, but Mario let his side down with silly red cards and stuff like that. He’s a great player, but we didn’t see that enough.”

Daniel Sturridge believes his partnership with Liverpool team-mate Luis Suarez can go down as one of the greats.

The two have forged an impressive early understanding in Brendan Rodger’s side and Sturridge believes it can only get better with time.

“It’s early days but the signs are that we’re playing well together. I’m sure that will continue,” he told The Telegraph.

“As you play with someone more regularly, you do things telepathically, you know where they’re going to be and you start playing off the cuff.”

Sturridge returns to Manchester City on Sunday hoping to prove a point to his old employers after he left the club for Chelsea in 2009.

While he showed potential and promise at City and then Chelsea, the 23-year-old believes we will now finally see what he is capable of after a fine start to his Anfield career.

“It’s always a weight off your shoulders if you start quite well,” he added.

“It has been a good start. I’m hard on myself and I like to do a lot better than I am doing. There’s a lot more to come from me. I’ve been performing OK but this is a fraction of what I’m actually able to do.

“Hopefully I’ll be able to show what I’m really capable of doing in the months and years to come, when I’m playing week in, week out and I’m fully fit.”