John Barnes has weighed in on the debate surrounding whether Liverpool vs is the greatest rivalry in the history of the Premier League.
Prior to last Sunday’s epic clash between the two sides, former Reds defender turned pundit Jamie Carragher declared: ‘This Man City Liverpool rivalry is the best we’ve ever had in English football!! We’ve never had the two best teams and managers in the world together fighting it out.’
These comments have received significant coverage with everyone from players to pundits to even and sharing their view on this divisive topic.
Now, Liverpool legend Barnes has had his say on the matter, telling BonusCodeBets: ‘Despite Jamie Carragher’s view, Manchester City vs Liverpool isn’t the greatest rivalry in Premier League history.
Certainly not at the moment anyway. Particularly when you remember Arsène Wenger vs Sir Alex Ferguson with Arsenal and Manchester United and the way they went head-to-head for years.’
When it comes to the best club rivalry in England, Liverpool vs Manchester United and Arsenal vs Tottenham Hotspur are often the ones most cited, while Wenger vs Ferguson often trumps all when it comes to managerial battles, with the Frenchman and the Scotsman’s duel lasting from 1996 to 2013.
While never traditionally big rivals, since 2017 Liverpool and City have emerged as the two most dominant sides in the game, winning every Premier League title since, as well as various other trophies, with this season also set to go to the wire between the two clubs.
Klopp and Guardiola have been ‘friendly’ adversaries for longer though, first encountering each other in 2013 in the Bundesliga as the respective managers of Der Klassiker rivals Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich.
But Barnes added that he believed that in time the rivalry could grow to be as big as Wenger and Ferguson’s.
‘City vs Liverpool is certainly the greatest rivalry if you look at the past three years. When Jürgen Klopp first came in seven years ago, the rivalry wasn’t there, so it’s only really developed in the last three. If things continue this way, then certainly, it could become the greatest ever.
‘When you look at what Wenger and Ferguson went through together though, it’s just too early to call this [Liverpool and City] the greatest.’
The Liverpool/City rivalry continues on Saturday, in the FA Cup semi-final at Wembley.
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