This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…
Pep Guardiola was visibly livid during Liverpool’s 3-1 defeat of his Manchester City side at Anfield on Sunday.
The former Barcelona manager was in disbelief that his side were not awarded a penalty in the second half, complaining that it was the second time in the match that they had been turned down. He was presumably referring to the incident in the first-half when Trent Alexander-Arnold handled in the box.
What he conveniently failed to remember in that situation, though, was that the ball had touched Bernardo Silva’s hand first.
As such, the Citizens have launched an official complaint to the Professional Game Match Officials Board – or PGMOL for short – in regards to the performance of referee Michael Oliver, according to reports.
This news comes after Raheem Sterling was dropped from the England squad to face Montenegro on Thursday after an incident involving Reds defender Joe Gomez.
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What Guardiola and co hope to achieve by pointing at their frustration with Oliver’s display is up for debate. One thing is for sure, though – the Anfield outfit have their Premier League title rivals rattled, and it can only be good news for Jurgen Klopp’s team who clearly have the advantage.
In the last two terms, Manchester City have been the stand-out side in England’s top tier. In 2017/18, they amassed 100 points and were 19 clear of Manchester United, who finished second. Whilst they won by just one point last season, they still picked up 98 throughout the campaign, whilst they also triumphed in the League Cup and F.A Cup as well.
This time around, though, they have already lost three times in their first 12 games. To put that into perspective, they lost just six in their previous 76 league matches. Not only that, but the Citizens are behind both Leicester City and Chelsea in the table.
Klopp has made it clear that he is not worrying about City, but surely the situation at the Etihad Stadium is making him smile.
He will know that the champions are worried, and this complaint is just the latest example of them lashing out. At the moment, it seems they are doing the damage to themselves. Whilst Liverpool need to concentrate on their own matches and season, this news will come as a boost to their title hopes.
