Jamie Carragher believes no duel can be compared to the one we are now seeing between Jürgen Klopp’s Liverpool and Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City. He believes that the rivalry between the two clubs is the biggest, most intense and of the highest quality in the history of English football, and surpasses previous duels such as when Manchester United and Arsenal fought for the league title in the early 2000s.

“It’s unique. It’s the first time the two best teams in England have become the two best teams in the world, led by two of the best managers of their generation”, wrote Scouser in his column on Telegraph before the giant gathering at the Etihad on Sunday.

He believed we had to go back to the 70s to find something that could match what we see today.

“The closest Liverpool has to City now is Liverpool’s rivalry with Nottingham Forest in the late 1970s, when there was an argument to say that the two best teams in England were the two best in Europe. But Liverpool and City in 2022 will have all the points,” Carragher wrote.

Influence in its own way

“They are one of the best teams that English football has ever seen and are led by a legendary coach who is way ahead of everyone else in the country. Pep Guardiola and Jürgen Klopp even stand out from the past because they have lifted the list of what it takes to win the title. league.Chelsea looked like they were going to make a match between three teams, but failed under constant pressure to win every game to follow ».

Carragher wrote that Guardiola and Klopp in their own way have changed the way football is played.

“Guardiola’s influence has spread all over the world with teams concerned with the possession style of play, while every major European league has had at least one Klopp imitator, who is trying to reinvent his method of winning the ball back as high as the pitch as possible. Every coach who has appeared choosing Guardiola or Klopp’s methods. They have inspiration, like Johan Cruyff and Arrigo Sacchi, but they have their own style”, wrote the Sky Sports pundit.

“They already wrote about the club record. Now they will do it again”, wrote Carragher.

Klopp has done a great job

Carragher in particular highlighted the work Klopp is doing at Liverpool as something unique.

“Nobody at City, Chelsea or Manchester United thought Liverpool would be revived with the power it is today. They knew Klopp was good, but in 2015 the resources at Anfield compared to rivals suggest that it is unlikely the club will be competitive. as it is now “.

“Klopp’s achievements are even more remarkable in terms of what he has played against, especially in terms of City and their ability to spend more money than anyone. The fact – that City know that if they win the league it is to be expected, whereas if Liverpool do it against all odds – means there will always be extra excitement ».

“That the two teams should meet for a duel over where the trophy ends has felt inevitable for several months. The Etihad on Sunday and Wembley next week will show where the balance of power lies. And don’t ignore that there will be a new meeting in Paris in May. “, wrote Carragher.