Newcastle vs Liverpool: a new Premier League rivalry

A club with newfound wealth entering the elite against one of the most historically successful clubs in the land – an almost perfect setting for modern Premier League drama.

With the first meeting of the season between Newcastle and Liverpool coming up this weekend (live on Showmax Pro, courtesy of SuperSport), here’s a look at why this is becoming a rivalry to monitor.

Newcastle entering the Champions League club

Not only did Newcastle finish above Liverpool for the first time in 11 years last season, but in doing so they ousted the Reds out of the Champions League positions.

This was the first full season under Jürgen Klopp that Liverpool had failed to finish in the top four, which brought home the reality that his team has to undergo a rebuild if it is to repeat some of their recent success.

For Newcastle, Champions League football was an important step in their growth under new ownership with the calibre of player that the tournament attracts.

If the Magpies are to use their Champions League status to move forward, it can be argued that it could be at Liverpool’s expense.

Liverpool’s past rivalries with “new money”

The last 20 years has seen some gobsmacking investment in clubs and invariably, those teams that have become wealthy overnight have come at loggerheads with Liverpool.

It started with Roman Abramovich’s takeover at Chelsea that resulted in them quickly winning Premier League titles under the management of Jose Mourinho. Their rise didn’t sit well with the Liverpool faithful, which takes pride in its own rich history, and banners like “You can’t buy tradition” surfaced at Anfield in huge clashes between the teams (including a few Champions League semi-finals).

A few years later, the Abu Dhabi Group stunned the world with their takeover of Manchester City. What followed was a few classic title races with Liverpool even before Pep Guardiola’s arrival (like the 2013/14 season that involved Steven Gerard’s slip against Chelsea in front of a delighted Mourinho).

City and Liverpool then went through a period of exchanging record points totals where at times, they looked to be in a different league from the rest of the competition.

Now that Newcastle have hit a new bracket of wealth, it’s almost inevitable that head-to-head battles with Liverpool will follow.

Klopp taking out his own frustrations on Newcastle

Jürgen Klopp can be one of the most friendly and popular managers in the Premier League but his demeanour can turn sour the instant he starts defending the transfer activity of Liverpool.

He has been outspoken about how certain clubs don’t operate in the same parameters that Liverpool does. Complying with the Financial Fair Play rules is often used as an explanation for caution in the transfer market as he bemoans how it’s less of a concern for clubs with mega-wealthy benefactors.

Last season saw the German take a few swipes at Newcastle in front of the press. Some of it was blunt and some of it was sarcastic. You can sense the inherent frustration that the free market of Premier League ownership has brought to him.

A chance to revive an old classic fixture

In the past, Newcastle versus Liverpool was a fixture that attracted plenty of drama and that feeling has been revitalised now that they are challenging each other in the league table again.

Liverpool’s 4-3 win in 1996 that denied Newcastle valuable points in their failed title run will always go down as one of the Premier League classics. Incredibly, the teams repeated that scoreline the next season.

In 2010, it was the scene of Alan Pardew’s first game in charge of Newcastle, where he sensationally led the side to a 3-1 win against the Reds, which kickstarted a mini-revival at the club.

With both teams boasting plenty of attacking flair and a growing rivalry in the air, this fixture has once again become a date on the Premier League calendar that fans can’t afford to miss.

About Showmax Pro

Showmax Pro is a streaming service available for Showmax subscribers in Africa that bundles the Showmax entertainment offering with music channels, news and live sports streaming from SuperSport.

Subscribers can live stream the latest seasons of the English Premier League, LaLiga, Serie A, UEFA Europa and UEFA Conference leagues, as well as FIFA World Cup qualifiers, every game of the FIFA Women’s World Cup and more. Subscribers in selected regions can stream the UEFA Champions League.

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