In the real world, the idea of kicking someone while they’re down is generally viewed as cowardly and uncool.
In football, however, it is quite the opposite: sticking the boot in on a fierce rival when they are seriously struggling is almost a necessity.
This afternoon Liverpool have one of the most dramatic, obvious and potentially rewarding opportunities in recent football history to do a bit of opponent kicking when desperately out-of-sorts Manchester City visit Anfield.
Pep Guardiola’s previously all-conquering team are on a run that defies belief with five straight defeats only halted by the midweek draw with Feyenoord. And even there they conspired to throw away a three-goal lead.
Liverpool, in contrast, are on a roll of incredible proportions under new man Arne Slot, sitting top of both the Premier League and Champions League tables with almost a third of the season completed.
If you combine those two starkly contrasting scenarios together – one team that can’t win and the other that can’t lose – and throw in the fact that today’s game is being played in Liverpool’s backyard, a resounding home win sounds like it should be on the cards.
The form book suggests City could be in for a hiding, and there aren’t many people who would bet against Liverpool ending the day with a huge, and potentially insurmountable, 11-point lead at the top of the table.
But football doesn’t always work that way. In fact, more often than not it doesn’t work that way. Especially when you are talking about clashes between two of the best teams in the country.
When it comes to motivation for ending your slump it doesn’t come much bigger than a game that could all but rule you out of the title race
What started off as a mere wobble for City has turned into a major tremor, and so far, Guardiola looks unsure how to turn things around, probably because he has never had to cope with this sort of run before in his managerial career.
I don’t agree with those suggesting that this run proves City are a one-man team that will struggle while Rodri remains sidelined. Equally I don’t think they are necessarily paying the price for poor recruitment.
I am much more of the opinion it is just one of those slumps every team goes through – just made more dramatic because of which team happens to be going through it.
But the tide will change, and City will start winning again. And when it comes to motivation for ending your slump it doesn’t come much bigger than a game that could all but rule you out of the title race.
That’s why today’s result is absolutely not a foregone conclusion.
I’m not saying City will win, don’t get me wrong. And I genuinely think they will struggle to even get a draw with their confidence at rock bottom and their manager reduced to a bloodied wreck on the touchline.
But those who are saying this will be a walk in the park, well, I think you may be in for a bit of a surprise. Today could be the day that Pep’s fightback starts.
Wayne on the wane?
I want Wayne Rooney to succeed as a manager.
Why? Simply because he hasn’t done what so many others in his position would have done, which is take the easier, more glamourous route into the profession.
Most retired legends with managerial aspirations end up taking over at top level teams, using their status and standing in football to get the job.
At that type of club they are backed by squadrons of top-notch coaches and surrounded by high-quality superstar players who, honestly speaking, don’t need much managing.
It doesn’t always work out, of course, with many ex-players proving to be flops despite taking over bigger teams. However, having a world of resources at your disposal can only enhance your chances of success.
Take Zinedine Zidane as an example. He turned out to be a fine manager with Real Madrid, winning all sorts of trophies. But would he have been equally successful had he dropped down to the second tier of Spanish football to take over a struggling side?
I’ll let you decide on that.
Rooney, on the other hand, cut his teeth at Derby County, who were struggling with a transfer embargo, then hopped over to America to broaden his horizons, before having an ill-fated spell at Birmingham City. Now he is at Plymouth Argyle, which is not exactly what you would call a glamour position.
I’m not going to pretend he has been an overwhelming success at any of those clubs. He did a decent job at Derby considering the circumstances, but otherwise his record has either been average or awful.
But he keeps trying.
Having said this, the picture is looking a bit bleak on the south coast of England, with his team on the wrong end of a 6-1 hammering by Norwich City during the week, leaving them just two points outside the relegation zone. That is the sort of result that does make you wonder if he is, in fact, cut out to be a manager.
Maybe not. Maybe an entire career surrounded by mega-stars has left him woefully unprepared for life in the lower leagues. Maybe he would have been better served going the glamour route and rocking up at a mega club where all he needed to do was refine and motivate.
But he didn’t. And one suspects his Plymouth adventure is make or break. I am hoping for make...
If it ain’t broke...
You’ve got to admire a player who takes one for the team. And boy did Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario take one last week when he played an hour of the match against Manchester City with a broken ankle.
Talk about going above and beyond the call of duty.
Sadly for the Italian, he will now be out for months after having surgery to fix the broken bone that he sustained in a clash with City winger Savinho.
That isn’t just devastating for the player, of course, it is a major blow for Tottenham as Vicario had been ever-present for the team in the Premier League since joining in June last year.
Of course, as impressive as Vicario’s bravery was, in my mind it still doesn’t beat Stuart Pearce’s similar heroics.
Back in 1999, while playing for West Ham United against Watford, he was on the end of a bad tackle that left him needing treatment. The tough left-back then played on for the rest of the first half in an effort to run off the injury, sprinting around and tackling with his usual ferocity.
Turns out he had spent those 10 minutes trying to “run off” a broken leg...
E-mail: james.calvert@timesofmalta.com