OPINION
Ahead of their visit to the Camp Nou this week Liverpool will be well underway with their preparations to face Barcelona in the Champions League.
However, it has been reported by ESPN that Barcelona will be taking inspiration from Manchester City’s tactics when they played the Reds in the Premier League this season.
The broadcaster claimed that Ernesto Valverde has spent hours going over 24 carefully selected Liverpool games from this campaign, but it is their two matches against Guardiola’s City side which he has been paying particular attention to.
Manchester City managed to earn four points out of six in their two fixtures with Liverpool this season, and it would certainly be dangerous for the Reds if Barcelona managed to perfectly replicated Guardiola’s game plan going into their Champions League fixtures.
Bearing in mind the fact that Barcelona dispatched of Manchester United fairly easily in the previous round of the competition, Jurgen Klopp will be quaking in his boots ahead of Liverpool’s trip to Spain.
Arguably, it will be the Reds’ counter-attacking assets which will provide the most danger for Barcelona across the two legs, however their jobs will be made a whole lot more difficult should Barcelona replicate City’s defensive structure.
Liverpool will not be prepared for the long-ball from Barcelona, as it is not typically in their style of play, however as they will be mimicking Guardiola’s City, this could be an option for Valverde and Barcelona.
This tactic could make Liverpool’s task a lot harder than it could have been and as a result many Reds fans will surely be sweating buckets over their side getting a positive result.
