With all due respect to Swansea and Cardiff, who meet up in an oh so rare Welsh derby on Sunday, the Barclays Premier League match that will be garnering the major attention this weekend will take place at the Emirates where Liverpool challenges Arsenal.
Saturday programming alert: Watch Newcastle vs. Chelsea (on Sportsnet, 8:30 am ET), Stoke City vs. Southampton (on Sportsnet, 10:30 am ET), Hull City vs. Sunderland (on Sportsnet World, 10:30 am ET) and Arsenal vs. Liverpool (on Sportsnet, 1 pm ET). | Sportsnet World Online | TV schedule
Arsenal and Liverpool have an odd relationship in that even though they are rivals, they actually seem to quite like each other. This is both a friendly and a heated rivalry as you’ll find. Of course, there have been volatile moments over the years – I still remember Jamie Carragher tossing a coin back into the crowd after it hit him. But hatred? I don’t really feel it.
To be honest, I hated Arsenal for a while back in 1989 when Michael Thomas scored at the very death to hand Arsenal the title over Liverpool. I’ve never witnessed anything as dramatic before or since, and I felt real hate. But then my good friend told me how his grandfather, a life-long Gooner, celebrated so hard that he literally dropped dead with a smile on his face. How could I hate Arsenal after that?
There’s a mutual appreciation between the clubs these days. Liverpool built its empire on beautiful attacking soccer, while modern Arsenal under Arsene Wenger did the same. Both clubs have enjoyed fantastic starts to the season, with Arsenal sitting in first place, while Liverpool is tied on points with second place Chelsea. There are other similarities, too.
Critics have pointed at the lack of a tough schedule as to why both Arsenal and Liverpool find themselves at the top of the table. How a club can be criticized for this is beyond me, as Arsenal and Liverpool can count the scalps of their fiercest rivals – evidence that their soft schedules haven’t been soft at all.
Sunday programming alert: Watch Cardiff City vs. Swansea City (on Sportsnet World, 10:30 am ET). | Sportsnet World Online | TV schedule
Both Arsenal and Liverpool enjoy the presence of a truly world class game breaker. Mesut Ozil and Luis Suarez are two men that routinely find themselves in contention for the Ballon d’Or, and they can make an entire stadium rise to its feet when the ball is at theirs.
Liverpool’s Daniel Sturridge and Jack Wilshere of Arsenal have recently found themselves elevated to the status of national saviours. Both will be integral to England at the World Cup, and both will need to show the character to handle the immense pressure they will come under between now and Brazil 2014.
I like Arsenal, and I am happy to admit it. In fact, the first top flight match I ever went to was at Highbury. I think Luton were the opponents, I think Arsenal won, but I do remember my friend’s father covering my mouth as I let out a huge cheer upon hearing Liverpool had won during the out of town scoreboard announcement. Despite being amongst thousands of hardened Gooners, I was able to leave with my head on my shoulders.
I was there at Anfield three years ago for the Andrei Arshavin 4-4 match. What a match it was, and the appreciation for the Russian’s performance from the Reds faithful was a perfect example of how a sophisticated crowd applauds great football, especially if they don’t really hate the opponent.
And that’s it, there’s no hate between these two clubs. They actually quite like each other, and on Saturday they’ll get to show us all once again what two great teams can give us.
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