Monday, April 25, 2022 – 3:54 pm
DUBAI, 25th April / WAM / The confrontations of the English teams Manchester City and Liverpool during the recent period succeeded in pulling the rug of interest from under the feet of many of the world’s top footballing summits, in light of the high technical level accompanying the performance of the two teams competing for the titles of local championships, especially the top of the English Premier League. As well as the summit of European football in light of their qualification to the semi-finals of the European Champions League.
For many years, the “Clásico” of the Spanish League between Real Madrid and Barcelona has attracted global attention at its highest levels, which called for it to be called “El Clasico” in light of their numerous meetings, whether locally in Spain or in Europe at the level of the European Champions League.
And after the lights receded from the top of the two poles of Spanish football, especially after the departure of the two stars, Cristiano Ronaldo from Real Madrid, and Leo Messi from Barcelona, the level of performance and interest in them declined, and the lack of confrontations between them and often confined to the Spanish League only, “Clasico Earth” no longer has the same degree of passion Which was present before, which also applies to most other European leagues, at a time when the “Classico” Manchester City and Liverpool imposed themselves on various levels, attracting the most attention.
In the current season, the two teams have met in 3 matches so far, in the league twice, in which they tied with one result, 2-2, and a third time in the FA Cup semi-final, which Liverpool won 3-2, and after they qualified for the semi-finals of the Champions League, they will not It would be surprising that the meeting between them will be renewed in the final of the tournament, if they succeeded in bypassing Real Madrid and Villarreal, the Spanish, to be the fourth confrontation between them in the same season.
Noting that the competition between them at the top of the English Premier League is still fierce in light of the lead of Manchester City – the title holder – to the top of the competition’s standings with 80 points, one point ahead of Liverpool, the second-placed player, and only five rounds before the end of the competition.
The two teams owe thanks in the state of brilliance that each of them is currently experiencing to the presence of two coaches at the head of the technical management who are classified as the best in the world – technically and marketing – namely, the Spanish Pep Guardiola with Manchester City, and the German Jurgen Klopp with Liverpool, who succeeded in giving a lot of attention to the confrontation of their teams. Not only because of the high technical level of the performance of their players, but also because of the ideal handling condition of each coach from his opponent, which is rarely found in this way among competing football coaches, to the extent that each of them praises the performance and paper level of his opponent, which increased the degree of interest and attachment With such confrontations.
What also helped to increase the global and Arab public interest, specifically in the Manchester City and Liverpool matches, was the presence of two international Arab stars between the two teams, namely the Egyptian Mohamed Salah with Liverpool, and the Algerian Riyad Mahrez with Manchester City, and each of them has millions of fans from inside and outside the borders of the Arab world. What also helped transform part of the Arab interest in old European confrontations and summits such as the Spanish League Clasico, with which he had a long association over the past years, to new, more passionate and enthusiastic football summits such as the Manchester City and Liverpool summit.
WAM/Walid Farouk/Ahmed Al-Boutli