We are less than one month away from Anfield hosting Man City and our excitement is already very high. From a neutral perspective, the fixture of Man City vs Liverpool has been the highlight of the league for nearly a decade now, and despite teams like Arsenal coming close to winning the league, Liverpool and City is still the game to watch and look forward to.
There have been some debates recently about the fixture, with Trent Alexander-Arnold calling the game the El Classico of England. To be clear, we absolutely agree with this statement and think that the level these teams have consistently performed is one of the reasons why the Premier League is the best league in the world.
Today, we will go through what makes this fixture so special and how important it is to the Premier League and its history.
The Quality And The Standard
Since 2017, these two teams have been some of the best in the world, with Pep and Klopp changing the teams into world beaters. The credit for the success of the team is down to these two and their rivalry has been around for a decade now.
When Pep was in Germany, Klopp managed Bayern Munich’s rivals, Dortmund and beat him in more ways than one. This rivalry carried on but with added stakes when they both moved over to England.
How They Set Up
They are both tactical masterminds while playing contrasting styles that have influenced football in more ways than one. With Pep, you have an intricate play, slow build-up and patience, whereas with Klopp, you have heavy metal, pressing and counter-attacking stuff. These contrasting styles led to each game feeling like a fight between Professor X and Magneto, two geniuses at the top of their games who, according to the football odds, are very hard to separate.
The Players Input
As much as the managers are key to the games, the players are the ones to implement these tactics on the pitch and make the games as entertaining as they are. Over the years, these two teams have had some full-blown Premier League icons.
The Legends Themselves
Man City have had Sergio Aguero, David Silva, Kevin De Bruyne and Erling Haaland, who is a legend in the making. Liverpool have had Sadio Mane, Mo Salah, Virgil Van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold, who like Haaland, is a legend in the making.
The talent on display has always been one of the best things about the fixture with each game having one player who stands out and takes the game by the scruff of its neck. With performances like Bernardo SIlva’s in the game that won Man City the league in the 2018/19 season, and Mo Salah’s in both games of the 2021/22 season.
The players make this fixture what it is and without their quality, we would not remember these games as much as we do now.
What’s Been At Stake
Saying that there is a lot at stake when these two play each other is an understatement, these two have had multiple tight title races and whenever these two teams play, it always feels like the winner is going to win the league.
This has led to massive goals and heart-stopping moments that have changed the trajectory of the league entirely. Whether it’s John Stones clearing the ball off the line or Salah scoring a winner against City in the 2022 season, one small moment can change the demeanour of a team and their title hopes.
The Rivalry Between Fans
Now one thing that has been controversial between these two teams is the rivalry, with Liverpool and Manchester United being the bigger rivalry, people looked at this fixture as a game that lacked edge and passion. Now, if we are being honest, this is completely wrong, this game has never lacked passion or aggression and the fans and the team clearly have hatred for each other.
However, the rivalry is built on mutual respect, the players, the managers and the fans all understand that these two have been the best teams in the league for years and without the other, their achievements would be impressive, but not as much as they are now.