Man City and Liverpool will be the two teams contending for the Premier League title this year as Jurgen Klopp looks to topple the Manchester side.
Despite making some superb signings over the summer, the club are still missing the creative talent of Philippe Coutinho following his sale to Barcelona.
City have a wealth of attacking talent but one of their more important players is Brazil international Fernandinho.
Philippe Coutinho
Signed from Inter Milan for £8.5 million in 2013, Coutinho always showed flashed of a superb player, although at times he didn’t show it consistently.
In his first half a season with the club, Coutinho scored three goals while creating a further seven and was a key player in a Liverpool side that came so close to winning the Premier League title.
In his final year with the club, Coutinho established himself as one of the best players in the league as he scored 13 goals combined with seven assists. Following that year, Liverpool sold the talented midfielder to Barcelona for an incredible £146 million fee.
Selling the Brazilian for such an eye-watering fee was a superb piece of business for a player that was overrated at times during his Liverpool career.
TT Grade: A-
Fernandinho
A solid and calming presence in a City side where the attacking players get all the plaudits, Fernandinho has been essential to Man City’s success.
His £30 million fee now looks like a superb piece of business by City and one that might go down as one of the best in the club’s history. He might be 33 but his importance in the side is still crucial to City’s title hopes.
He never quite gets the praise he should for how well he performs. He breaks up play and is a solid defensive force for the side. With Fernandinho in the side, City’s attacking players can run riot.
TT Grade: A
A very tough battle to call, Fernandinho wins this one due to his fee, ability and what he brings to City.
Coutinho might have the rare ability to be able to unlock a defence but overall, he was a slightly overrated player during his time with Liverpool. The transfer fee The Reds received for him was astronomical and as such Klopp could reinvest it into the Virgil Van Dijk deal.
