da doce： Manchester United vs Arsenal. Chelsea vs Liverpool. Both matches that used to be must-see, unmissable checkpoints on the Premier League calendar; occasions that even neutrals made every effort to see.
da bwin： They were more than fixtures, more than a simple battle for three points. Both were the latest installment in a long-running rivalry, the two that have defined the Premier League era.
United largely battled Newcastle for supremacy in the breakaway competition’s early days but while Alex Ferguson vs Kevin Keegan threatened to get nasty, it was the arrival of Arsene Wenger on these shores in 1996 that created the Premier League’s first major beef.
Between 1996 and 2004, the red halves of Manchester and North London monopolised the title – United with six, Arsenal with three – as two sides of supreme quality and unflinching desire locked horns for supremacy; season in and season out.
The clash was littered with memorable moments. Marc Overmars’ goal in 1998, United’s 6-1 win in 2001, Arsenal clinching the league at Old Trafford in 2002, the reaction to Ruud van Nistelrooy’s penalty miss in 2003, before he ended the Invincible run on the day of ‘Pizzagate’ 2004.
Even as Chelsea entered the picture in 2005, the battle of the Highbury tunnel between Roy Keane and Patrick Vieira is still an enduring image.
Yet, the Blues’ emergence as a force thanks to Roman Abramovich’s intervention – clinching the 2004/05 and 2005/06 titles – sparked the second great rivalry of the post-1992 era.
Chelsea were spending their way to success, which rubbed many clubs up the wrong way, but none moreso than Liverpool. Reds fans knew they were no longer the force they once were but Mourinho’s rampant spending to fast-track a side with ‘no history’ to the summit of English football rankled with them.
Contrasting finances meant that Rafa Benitez’s side struggled to keep pace with Jose Mourinho’s Blues over the course of a 38-game league season but they were more than capable of overcoming them on a one-off occasion.
The hands of fate drew the sides together in the Champions League every season between 2004-05 – when Liverpool of course won the whole thing – and 2008/09. Both sides’ ultra-physical style ensured that the games were seldom for the purist but always hard-fought, genuine grudge matches. There was real animosity there.
That spikiness and the continuation of a rift between two elite sides contrasts sharply with the current state of affairs. Owing to Arsenal’s looming Europa League semi-final against Atletico, last weekend’s visit to Old Trafford saw Arsene Wenger rest most of his big-hitters.
The Frenchman was presented with a commemorative trophy from Jose Mourinho and Sir Alex Ferguson, effectively laying to rest the rivalry between United and Arsenal, or at the very least withdrawing the last of the sting from it.
This weekend’s encounter between Chelsea and Liverpool has only slightly begun to matter because the visitors have somehow only picked up two points from games against the Premier League’s bottom two and offered Sunday’s hosts the faintest of hope that they can dislodge them from the top four.
Even if Chelsea do win, Liverpool need only to beat Brighton on the final day of the season to make the top four. Many observers would rather watch Arsenal v Burnley, which kicks off at the same time.
Chelsea v Liverpool, just like United v Arsenal, has lost its lusture.
Rather than look at where those battles went off the boil, perhaps it is more pertinent to look forward and ask; where is the next major Premier League rivalry coming from?
The “Big Four” has become the Top Six but still no combination of the two brings out animosity based purely on competition, as yet, but there is potential there.
Liverpool vs Manchester City is the leading contender. Again, Liverpool have been unable to keep pace with a wealthy and worthy champion over the course of a season but are proving adept at bloodying their nose when they face off, winning three of the sides’ four encounters this term.
Many looked towards Pep Guardiola’s intense rivalry with Jose Mourinho when they were managing Barcelona and Real Madrid as a rift that could be reignited in England but it looks more likely that it is an antagonism formed in Germany that is more likely to come to the fore.
Klopp vs Guardiola is developing into the defining battle of the modern Premier League; heavy pressing vs pure artistry. There is respect between the duo, but enough contrast in personality and playing style to create animosity, especially if the Reds emerge as a genuine title contender next season.
Down south, Chelsea and Tottenham are London rivals but have never been intense foes until recently. The Battle of Stamford Bridge in 2016, when the Blues handed the title to Leicester sparked the hostility as Mauricio Pochettino’s men lost their heads but developed something of a backbone.
It is easy to forget that last season, the pair were the only two realistic title contenders. Chelsea schooled Spurs in the FA Cup semi-finals but this term, the North London club finally ended their Bridge hoodoo. The stark contrast in the way the clubs are run also adds a dimension to a conflict that could develop in the coming seasons.
We are still waiting for the United/City, Mourinho/Guardiola feud to truly kick off; although last month’s thrilling 3-2 win for the red half might well spark it into life, especially if the Portuguese can make the necessary summer improvements.
With Chelsea and Arsenal both seeking new management and in a state of flux, that battle has also gone cold. So maybe it is time for the hottest rivalry in English football – Liverpool vs Manchester United – to truly reignite as a title battle.
Only once, in the 2008/09 season, has the conflict between the two most successful clubs in English football been a genuine Premier League-defining clash and both sides battling it out for honours would be a fitting third great rivalry of the modern era.
Klopp’s Reds play the better football on a smaller budget, inspired by a Mourinho cast-off – the mercurial Mo Salah – while the Portuguese has frequently pointed out that his side have been above the feted Merseyside outfit throughout the season.
Mourinho’s cynical park-the-bus tactics rankle Klopp but the German is yet to beat United under the former Real Madrid manager’s guidance. The pair are civil on the touchline but that is all.
Manchester City will start next term as overwhelming favourites to regain their crown but United and Liverpool are striving hard to bridge the gap.
The Premier League needs another great rivalry so it would be the ideal time for Liverpool against Manchester United to regain it’s most bitter edge.
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