Manchester City and Liverpool, Pep Guardiola and Jürgen Klopp. The two act as dictators in a Premier League that, despite being more competitive than ever due to the money distribution system in the middle and lower part of the table, has not escaped the two northern teams since the arrival of the coach de Santpedor back in 2017. Then, after starting their rivalry with Der Klassiker in Germany, they launched a new saga of clashes in the United Kingdom, whose demands force teams to raise their performance to historic heights in order to prevail. This Saturday, at 6:00 p.m. (Spanish time), at the mythical Wembley Stadium, the two dominators of English football will kick off the season with the first title at stake, the Community Shield.
The German coach landed two years before the Spanish in the British country. Since Guardiola's arrival, City and Liverpool have met 14 times in all competitions. The balance is five wins for the citizen team, five for the red team and four draws. In the face to face the duel is very tight, in national titles commands, for the moment, Guardiola's team, which since his arrival has won four Premier titles, one FA Cup, four League Cups and two Community Shield; for a Premier, an FA Cup and a Klopp League Cup.
In Europe, however, the Catalan coach continues to carry a cross of comebacks and logically inexplicable defeats since his departure from FC Barcelona; while the German, who also had (and, in part, maintains after the outcome of the last edition of the Champions League) the title of loser in the finals, has led Liverpool to continental glory 14 years later, with the conquest of the Champions League and the European Super Cup in 2019, to which they ended up adding the Club World Cup.
Be that as it may, the level of both mutually elevates the performance of the rival, hence they have broken all the scoring records of the Premier era in the last five years. City's 100 points in 2018, Liverpool's 99 in 2020 and Manchester's 98 again in 2019 are historic records. Even Liverpool's 97 in 2019, which did not help him win the League.
They obviously arrive as the main favorites to occupy the first and second place in the classification in the 2022/23 season. No team with the potential to challenge them for national hegemony can still be seen, especially after the great reinforcements they hired this summer.
Pep already has the top level center forward that he had been demanding so much since his arrival at the club: Erling Braut Haaland. The Norwegian attacker broke effectiveness records with Borussia Dortmund and is, along with Kylian Mbappé, called to mark an era during the next decade in world football. In his debut with the shirt that his father already wore between 2000 and 2003, against Bayern Munich, he scored his first goal.
Liverpool's great signing for this campaign, Darwin Núñez, from Benfica and the most expensive striker in Liverpool's history (75 million euros), was not far behind and also signed his declaration of intent. In his third pre-season game, after two discreet performances, he scored four goals against RB Leipzig. The two are also running as clear candidates to lead the Premier's scorers table.
City underpinned their midfield with Kalvin Phillips, a former Leeds United player and a fixture in Gareth Southgate's scheme with the English team. In addition, Julián Álvarez arrived, another promising striker from River Plate, who was already signed in winter, but stayed on loan in Argentina until the end of the season. Those of Klopp, for their part, announced the hiring of the Portuguese Fábio Carvalho, a young attacking midfielder who stood out at Fulham.
Two different market and staff construction strategies, two very different philosophies. Guardiola, great champion of the position game, lover of possession as a means to achieve victory and supporter of pause and elaboration. Klopp, exponent of gegenpressing, vertigo and suffocation as main weapons to leave his rival without arguments. One of the most brilliant and colorful fights of styles, teams and minds of the modern era. The sixth season of this thriller begins on Saturday.
