There may be a growing animosity among the two sets of supporters over recent years, but on the field there has been nothing but respect between the chief protagonists at Liverpool and Manchester City.
Indeed, rarely in the modern era can two rival and almost diametrically opposed managers have such a healthy appreciation of each other’s achievements as Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola.
The relationship between the clubs, though, has become somewhat strained ahead of Sunday’s blockbusting Anfield showdown – well, in one direction at least – after what at first glance appeared a throwaway comment from Trent Alexander-Arnold when referring to winning trophies with Liverpool compared to City in the latest FourFourTwo magazine.
The right-back said: “You’re up against a machine that’s built to win. Looking back on this era, although they’ve won more titles than us and have probably been more successful, our trophies will mean more to us and our fanbase because of the situations at both clubs, financially. How both clubs have built their teams and the manner in which we’ve done it, probably means more to our fans.”
