After Manchester City’s 2-2 draw at home to Arsenal, which finished with the Blues notching their equaliser in the 98th minute following “dark arts” tactics from the visitors, Bernardo Silva spoke out about how much he preferred City’s rivalry with Liverpool.
While the Portuguese international has often been the focus of winding up Liverpool players and fans alike during Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola’s heated contests, he has recently found reason and seems to be missing the good ol’ days.
Read more: Trent Alexander-Arnold still holds Liverpool DREAM but admits it’s now ‘out of my hands
When ex-Liverpool boss Klopp came up against Guardiola, regardless of which club they were managing at the time, fireworks went off on the pitch, a tale of footballing splendour you simply couldn’t take your eyes off.
On occasion, there were drubbings, on both sides, which Liverpool fans will remember till the day they die, but what lay at the heart of it was an indefatigable desire to win, at all costs.
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND – Saturday, November 25, 2023: Manchester City’s Erling Haaland (L) and Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold during the FA Premier League match between Manchester City FC and Liverpool FC at the City of Manchester Stadium. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
Since Jurgen Klopp stepped down last season, and while he transitioned from the old Liverpool brigade of the Klopp era to the new, Arsenal gradually managed to climb the mountain, tasting what it truly means to compete at the highest level against the brilliance of Pep Guardiola.
Attempting to bring a new rivalry to the fore after years of seeing Manchester City end up on top, but still unable to breach the City Blues’ dominance, the Premier League served up its best effort to surpass Liverpool’s 2017-22 masterclass.
In our view, in-line with Bernardo Silva’s perspective, they didn’t even get remotely close.
Bernardo Silva yearns for a return to the past
In his post-match interview yesterday, Silva said: “The difference? I don’t know. Maybe that Liverpool have already won a Premier League, Arsenal haven’t. That Liverpool have won a Champions League, Arsenal haven’t.
“Liverpool always faced us face to face to try to win the games, so by this perspective, the games against Arsenal haven’t been like the ones we had and have against Liverpool. So yes, maybe a different rivalry.“We’re not happy as we wanted the three points, but personally, I’m happy with the way we came to play and faced the game. I’m glad we always enter the pitch to try to win every match.”
Bernardo Silva, Pro Shots
When Jurgen Klopp’s team entered their prime, performing at the highest level that English football has probably ever seen, second only Manchester City, where points totals of 97, 98, 99 and 100 were notched across three seasons, the margin for error was astonishingly low.
The intensity, the drama, the quality on and off the ball and most importantly, the desire to win.
To know that you were coming up against the very best, whilst having the unflappable belief that you were just as capable of rolling them over in an instant, as they were to running riot for 90 minutes.
A breakdown of Arteta’s efforts since 2020
Across fourteen contests between the two managers at City and Arsenal, the one-sided nature is clear for all to see.
Nine wins for Guardiola, four of which have been away from home at the Emirates Stadium, compared to Arteta’s two wins, a draw that led to a Community Shield victory on penalties and the two most recent games, each resulting in draws at the Etihad stadium.
Now some Arsenal fans will fume at the lack of context given, as Arsenal had to rebuild their side over three seasons before they managed a top-four finish in 2022/23, Klopp managed to win at the Etihad in 2015, despite having only been in the job for just over a month.
Whilst it cannot be underestimated how difficult it can be to win against City at home, Liverpool only managed to do so on one other occasion – in 2017 in the Champions League – but Arsenal are yet to even get close.
Klopp’s career record against Guardiola
Across 29 contests, Klopp is one of the only managers in the world to boast a positive win-loss ratio against the Spaniard, winning 12 of the meetings, to Pep’s 11 wins and six draws.
In the Premier League, spreading out across Europe and in domestic competition, when Liverpool played Manchester City, it was special.
Moment after moment, from Liverpool’s Champions League heroics, winning 5-1 across two legs during City’s centurion season, to John Stones’ heartbreaking goal-line clearance, which in retrospect stopped Liverpool from winning the Premier League as 100-point invincible winners on top of taking home their sixth European Cup that same season.
The risk was enormous, playing your style of football against a team best suited to rip you to shreds if things were to go wrong, but it was magnificent football, in some of the best games this country has ever seen.
There are arguments over who spent what – where City outspent Liverpool – and in fact Arteta has outspent Klopp’s nine years in just five. But when push came to shove, the quality on the pitch was undeniable.
Why Bernardo Silva is right
Despite being a young team that has climbed the ranks over the past few years, Arteta’s team just aren’t at the level to compete with Klopp’s efforts.
The attack has promise and yet they are so reluctant to show what they can do, against the team that has undoubtedly been the best in the country for the past five years.
The defence on the other hand has been rock-solid, seeingly able to lockdown teams from minute one. But after coming up short in two title challenges, neither of which breached 90 points – despite Arsenal fans being left feeling totally bewildered as to what more their team can do.
Will they get there? Maybe. But the ruthlessness to take a game away from your closest rival is missing and they have so much still to prove if they are to eventually finish the job off and win their first title in 20 years.
Despite his best efforts, Jurgen Klopp only managed one Premier League title, but throughout the journey, he took us all on, he could not have given any more – the level of competition his sides gave to Pep Guardiola, we may never see again.
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