The Premier League Title Race: Battle of the Minds

Sunday’s highly anticipated Premier League matchup between league leaders Manchester City and title contenders Liverpool was one for the books.

In a brilliant display of elite quality that left tactical analysts from all over drooling, the final result of a 2-2 draw seemed both appropriate as well as…disappointing.

From a neutral perspective, City should’ve won. They were the team who were the most in control, especially in the first half. They were the more creative of the two sides and did the most with the chances that came their way. They played their game with composure for the most part, and found a way to rattle Liverpool’s defence so much that even  Virgil van Dijk looked questionable at times.

But despite a match where the odds were leaning more in their favour, and despite the Sky Blues playing so cohesively as a unit, Pep Guardiola and his men should walk away a little concerned.

Not very concerned, they still put in an exceptional performance, but maybe just a little bit concerned.

This was it for Man City. This was THE chance. The chance to kill all hope for the “annoying” Liverpool who as of now still just sit one point behind and who are still vying for the chance to leapfrog City into first place of the Premier League standings.

To be a little harsh but a little honest, it was a chance that Man City missed. A miss that probably could’ve been avoidable if the right mentality had been injected into the game, especially during halftime.

The Halftime Talk

Take a look at the very start of the second half. Now, we all know that halftime can be crucial for most teams, especially in a match when there is so much at stake. It’s a time to regroup, make some changes, light a fire…and one team did just that on Sunday, and that team was not Man City.

I personally don’t know what Jurgen Klopp said in the locker room during the half to his Reds who were down 2-1, but whatever he did say was very brief and very effective. Liverpool came out a completely different team, and Sadio Mane’s equalizer straight away in the 46th minute was proof.

City, on the other hand, came out looking a bit too comfortable with their one goal lead and clearly paid for it when Mane scored. They were left scattered and too reactive, and it took them a good portion of the second half, even on home turf at the Etihad, to regain their original focus from the first half that had made them so successful.

Which then begs the question, what did Pep say to his team during the half? After such a spectacular start and with the momentum of the match playing in their hands, how did City still fail to kill off the game?

The point I’m making is this: the team that wins the Premier League title for the 2021-22 season is the team that wins the battle of the minds.

City and Liverpool are the top two teams for a reason. They are the best in the league, possibly the world, and we all know it’s mainly because of what they are both capable of delivering physically, time and time again, when they are on the pitch.

But the remaining games in the PL schedule will require more than just physicality, talent, and luck. The Premier League title belongs to the team who will show the most mental strength to achieve their target(s).

The title will go to the team who wants it more, simply put.

It’s well known in the world of sports that having the right mentality is key. For even when the body is tired or the odds are stacked way too high against you, pushing through with the right state of mind usually leads to incredible results.

Liverpool showed on Sunday that kind of resiliency, but can Manchester City do the same?

In my opinion, City are still the favourites, but only by a margin. This may all sound a bit too critical, but when you have the squad depth and the pool of talent that City does, a draw against your current biggest opponent who happens to be waiting in the wings for you to fail, does deserve a healthy dose of criticism.

It’s clear Pep and Jurgen know how to play mind games with each other during their press conferences, but how will those mind games continue to match up from now until the end of May?