The hype carried over El Clasico (Real Madrid vs Barcelona) has taken a serious toll courtesy few instances. Majorly because of Cristiano Ronaldo leaving Real Madrid but some of the credit also has to go to the performance of Premier League clubs in recent past.
Manchester City and Liverpool have brought back those years of 2000’s when Premier League teams used to be the best teams around. Then, Manchester United vs Arsenal or Manchester United vs Chelsea would have pulled the crowds; now it’s City and Liverpool.
The two not so big clubs out of top 6 in terms of away viewers, City and Liverpool have certainly raised the bars both for themselves and the one’s watching them play. Now it’s these two teams than can be caller El Clasico 2.0.
There are various reasons for things happening in England rather than in Spain. Here’s a few that I could count.
Two indisputable Managers
Since the arrival of Pep Guardiola, Manchester City has seen an exponential rise and has become an unstoppable unit. The squad of City is probably the best in a long time with no big names like Ronaldo or Messi in it.
More than the player it is their coach that wins them the games. The same goes for Liverpool. The arrival of Jurgen Klopp brought with him the ecstasy of wins. Both the managers fought tooth and nail in Bundesliga during their tenure at Bayern and Dortmund and now have made England their battleground.
A healthy competition between two of the best talent in managerial role does give a raise to the fight between these two clubs.
Plethora of talent on display
The Sunday clash will showcase the clubs with most complete players. Both the teams have a talented player at their disposal in every position you name. Be it a centre-back or a full-back; a midfielder or a striker, teams have it all.
If the likes of Mohamed Salah and Sergio Aguero will run to win the golden ball, the likes of De Bruyne and Robertson will be there to make assists. On the wings we will see Mane trying to fly past the full-backs of City with Bernardo trying to wriggle past Liverpool.
Either of the team when work in tandem will be a peach to watch particularly from the stands of Anfield.
The atmosphere outside Anfield and within
Before the Sunday clash, the police forces at Merseyside will have to be on their toes. So many times have we seen unwanted happenings occurring before the clash of these two teams. Most recently in 2018 bottles and cans were throw at the bus of Manchester City before the Champions League clash.
There would be supporters battering on the streets and many chanting in the stadium. Anfield will be at it’s fervent best trying to cause the visiting squad panic before they settle. The fans of Anfield have always made the travelling teams club and so will they try with Guardiola and his men entering their region.
Only time will tell if Liverpool walks alone or their anthem stays.
