Arne Slot will not face off against Pep Guardiola until the end of November, but that does not mean the Man City boss is not keeping an eye on what is an unknown entity to him.
After three games, the Reds and City are separated by only goals scored at the top of the Premier League table – with Slot’s men scoring seven times to the Citizens’ nine.
A lot is to unfold before they go head-to-head on matchday 13, though, with City’s visit to Anfield to come the weekend after Liverpool host Real Madrid in the Champions League.
It will be the first meeting between Slot and Guardiola, giving the fixture a new look after eight years with the Spaniard battling Jurgen Klopp.
But while the Reds’ head coach has admired Guardiola from afar, the Dutchman is an unknown entity who is demanding the former Barcelona boss to pay closer attention to.
Explaining his opposition analysis, Guardiola told Sky Sports: “When I play a new club in the Champions League that I don’t know, I see much more than playing against Arsenal, for example.
“Of course, I want to watch Arsenal a lot, but Mikel has been there four or five years.
“And before with Jurgen Klopp and Liverpool. Now I have to watch more Liverpool because of Arne. I don’t know exactly what they do. But with Jurgen, we knew each other better.
“When I was younger, I watched much, much more than now. Now I’m lazier. I think I watch well enough to understand what the opponents want to do.
“I try to choose the right footage to show my players, to convince them of what to do to try and beat them.”
Currently, the first meeting is pencilled in for November 30, but that is expected to move back to Sunday, December 1 – it will certainly be an interesting battle to witness!
