Gary Neville shares why he is ‘worried’ for Liverpool against Man City

Gary Neville shares why he is ‘worried’ for Liverpool against Man City Liverpool vs Manchester City: Anfield Pressure Builds for Iraola’s Side Liverpool go into Sunday’s meeting with Manchester City carrying more than the usual burden that comes with a fixture of this size. This is not simply another heavyweight clash at Anfield. It is a match loaded with expectation, noise and, from beyond Merseyside, a rare degree of goodwill towards Liverpool. That much is obvious. Plenty across English football want to see City beaten. The backdrop has sharpened the mood, the venue adds to it, and the occasion now feels bigger than three points. For Liverpool, that cuts both ways. Support from all corners sounds nice in theory. In practice, it can turn into pressure very quickly. Manchester City arrive with stronger form Strip away the emotion and the football point is straightforward. Manchester City have been better. Enzo Maresca’s side have won all five of their Premier League matches so far and look more settled, more polished and more reliable. Liverpool, now under Andoni Iraola, are still trying to prove they can reach that level consistently. There is also uncertainty around selection. The question hanging over the game is a practical one as much as a psychological one. If Alexander Isak and Cody Gakpo are missing, Liverpool lose firepower, movement and composure in the final third. That changes the texture of the match and narrows Iraola’s margin for error. Gary Neville, speaking on The Overlap Daily, said: “I’ve got one worry about Sunday. If this was Klopp’s Liverpool they would drive them into the ground and literally finish them off in one day. They’d probably beat them [by] three or four. I’m not sure on this Liverpool team,” he said. That is harsh, but there is logic to it. Liverpool sides of previous years had a way of turning Anfield into something feral. Opponents did not simply get beaten, they got swallowed by the pace and volume of the occasion. This current team has quality, but it has not yet shown that same certainty in a game of this magnitude. Anfield atmosphere can still shift everything And yet Anfield remains the great equaliser. It can drag a team five yards further, make simple things harder for the opposition and distort the rhythm of the game. Liverpool do not need to be superior in every phase to make this uncomfortable for City. They need aggression, clarity and conviction. There was another warning from Neville attached to the sense of anticipation: “Because you know something, I was thinking this about the Cantona return game against Liverpool that I played in, and I’m not saying it’s similar, but it feels like everybody’s sort of waiting for this game and we didn’t turn up on the day. We were absolutely terrible. Liverpool were far better.” That memory matters because it speaks to a simple truth. Matches carrying this much emotion can produce strange performances. Teams can freeze. Crowds can become anxious. Energy can drain if the moment is mishandled. Liverpool must handle expectation, not absorb it That concern was spelled out clearly: “We drew 2-2 in the end, but I just wonder whether everybody from Liverpool on Sunday, the players in particular are thinking ‘everyone’s with us, everyone’s wanting us to win’, because they are. It’s that element of sort of the lion’s den isn’t it? “I just worry whether Liverpool have actually got it in them to be able to go and deliver I just I look at Liverpool and think ‘are they going to show up that lot?’ Because they need to show up.” That is the crux of Liverpool vs Manchester City. Not sentiment, not theatre, not moral backing from rivals. Can Iraola’s team play with enough authority to make the occasion count? Right now, City look the better side. At Anfield, that may not be enough. Liverpool have to make sure the crowd pushes them forward rather than weighing them down. If they do, this becomes a proper contest. If they do not, the noise around the game will count for very little.