Manchester City v Liverpool Rivalry Could Become The Global Front Of The Premier League

Manchester City v Liverpool Rivalry Could Become The Global Front Of The Premier League
09:41, 05 Sep 2017

The Greatest League In The World. It’s a moniker repeated so often when referring to the Premier League, it’s somewhat surprising Richard Scudamore hasn’t changed the division’s official title to it. Of course, whether the tagline is accurate or not is up for debate, with some fans in Germany and Spain boasting strong arguments, but nonetheless, it’s a reputation that the Premier League has built a global brand from.

At the centre of that brand is the concept of entertainment. In the modern game, where drama and excitement are valued above all else, the Premier League is widely believed to serve up the most exhilaration. From top to bottom, the idea is that England’s top flight offers more entertainment than any other footballing division on the planet.

Which brings us to this weekend’s clash between Manchester City and Liverpool. Not so long ago, a future between these two clubs wouldn’t have registered a global frequency, with City in the shadow of their neighbours Manchester United and Liverpool still longing for the good old days of decades ago.

Now, however, there’s a case to be made that these two teams embody the Premier League’s culture of entertainment better than anyone else. Indeed, Saturday’s match at the Etihad Stadium has the potential to be one of the best of the season, certainly from an entertainment standpoint. 

Both Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp are renowned for their prowess in assembling attacking outfits, with Man City and Liverpool two of the most dangerous sides in the attacking third in the Premier League. If it’s goals you’re looking for, you should probably make a point of tuning in at 12.30pm on Saturday. 

This is offset by City and Liverpool’s vulnerability at the back. The latter, in particular, are known to leak goals, with Klopp failing in his efforts to sign a new centre back over the summer. The Reds will have to make do with what they already have, meaning they will once again prioritise the areas of play higher up the pitch. That’s yet more good news for the entertainment merchants. 

There is a sense that both these two teams are great unknowns of the 2017/18 Premier League season in its fledgling state. Man City, in particular, have yet to find their true identity after a summer overhaul which saw Guardiola essentially buy an entirely new team, ridding his squad of the deadwood that had weighed it down so dearly last season.

Over time it’s likely that things will settle at the Etihad as City find their foot, but right now there are a lot of moving parts, making Guardiola’s side difficult to predict. They have at least shown some spirit so far, scoring deep into stoppage time to snatch a win at Bournemouth in their last outing, but in terms of their ideology and style of player, they remain something of an unknown quantity.

Liverpool are similarly difficult to predict, with the astonishing 4-0 win over Arsenal following a decidedly unconvincing 1-0 win over Crystal Palace. The speculation around Philippe Coutinho and Barcelona’s pursuit of the Brazilian unsettled all at Anfield, and in that respect things should fall into more of a rhythm over the next few weeks and months as the Reds attempt to mount a title challenge.

For so long, Arsenal and Manchester United, soon followed by Chelsea, were the clubs that formed the face of the Premier League. That’s what the world saw when they looked at England’s top flight. In recent years, City and Liverpool have changed the paradigm, though, and this season could be the season they become the epitome of what the Premier League means to the global game.

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